Pen Friends ?
by TVDfiction
Summary: Elena and Stefan have known each other for 10 years but they've never met before. They are pen friends. But when Stefan moves to Mystic Falls and goes to the same high school that Elena goes to, they meet. But is it what they've always dreamed it wold be? Could they be actual friends? And what happens when Elena finds out that she has a crush on Stefan? This story is AH ... Enjoy
1. Prologue

**Hey guys =) This is the prologue of the new story I told you about . So it's AH (All Human) and all the characters are probably a little OOC (Out Of Character).This prologue is in Elena's POV .**

**I have finals coming up and then I'm going away for a month so I won't be able to update a lot at first but hopefully I'll write another chapter next week .**

**Please review and tell me what you think about it and if I should continue or not .**

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OH God ! What a long day !

I am volunteering ate the orphanage this summer and I've been going there 4 times a week. We do all kinds of stuff. So far we've been to the circus, park, library, museum, lake, funfair , and so many more places ! And that was all fine with me , I love kids so I don't mind taking care of them. What I do mind is cleaning the orphanage .

There are only 2 weeks left for school , and the volunteering ends this week so now all the volunteers have to clean the Orphanage . I spent all day wiping the floor and cleaning the bathrooms . And tomorrow we have to paint the walls . Don't get me wrong , I love helping people in need and I want to help . But that doesn't mean that I don't get tired...

It's 7pm and I'm finally home . I know I should eat something since I haven't eaten anything since morning but I'm too tired. I just want to go to bed and sleep . Well maybe talk to Stefan before that.

Who's Stefan ?!

Well , Stefan has been my best friend for 10 years . I've known him since I was 7 . He's a great friend , one of the few people I completely trust . I keep his secrets and he keeps mine. He knows everything about me . He knows that I love watching Disney animation movies even though I'm 17, he knows that I love reading more than anything else , he knows how I could spend the whole day sitting in my bedroom reading a good book , he knows how much I hate liars , he knows that purple s my favorite color and that I hate grey , he knows that Bonnie and Caroline are the only real friends (besides him) that I have, he knows that I would do anything to not be popular at my school . He knows everything . The only thing he doesn't know is how I look and how my voice sounds .

Why ?

Because we've never met before .

Stefan is my pen friend . When I was little I was very shy so my mom came up with the idea of a pen friend , she had one while she grew up and thought it might be a good idea for me to have one too . I don't know where she found Stefan , but I do know that that was the best decision she ever made . Because talking to Stefan helped me a lot , I don't know if it was the fact that I couldn't see him or just him being Stefan but I definitely gained a lot of self confidence talking to him .

We started talking using normal letters . One of the best feelings in the world is checking the mail box and finding out you have a letter . But as we grew up we started using emails and chat rooms . We still send letters but not as much as before. We had a discussion once about whether we should send each others pictures to see what we look like or not , but we decided to keep it original , to stay true to the "Pen Friends Rules" as he called them .

I wanted to look for him on Facebook or Twitter and see what he looks like but I didn't . And I'm sure he didn't because I know him . I now that when he says he'll do something , he does it .

I went to my room , sat on my bed and opened the laptop . I logged in and found out that Stefan is online. As tired as I was , I couldn't resist the chance to talk to him .

_**Elena :Hey you**_

_**Stefan :You're actually here ?! WOW I thought you forgot about me .**_

_**Elena :Come on ! You know I'm busy volunteering .**_

_**Stefan :Yeah I know Mrs. Gilbert . Anyway GUESS WHAT ?!**_

_**Elena :What ?!**_

He didn't answer right away , he knew I hated the suspense . He was doing it on purpose .

_**Elena :Stefan ?**_

Still no answer

_**Elena :Stefaaaaaaan !**_

_**Stefan :What ? Oh yeah =P Well I'm moving to Mystic Falls .**_

Did he just say he's coming to Mystic Falls ?! As in my home town Mystic Falls ?! The one I live in now ?!

_**Elena :What did you just say ?!**_

_**Stefan :My dad got a job offer at the hospital and he decided we should all move there .**_

_**Elena :OMG ! You're actually coming here ?!**_

_**Stefan :Yup ! And you don't know the best thing yet …**_

_**Elena :Which is ?!**_

_**Stefan :I'm going to Mystic Falls High School .**_

_**Elena :That's my school**_

_**Stefan :I know !**_

Stefan freaking Salvatore is moving here and coming to my school . I'm going to see him . He's going to see me .

I'm officially freaking out .


	2. Chapter 1

**Hii , thank you so much for the reviews/favorites/follows ! It means a lot to me ! **  
**If you have any ideas about the story or suggestions , review and tell me ... **  
**This chapter is basically about Elena's life , her friends , family , etc...  
Next chapter we'll see Stefan and their first day at school .  
Anyway , here's chapter 1 **

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I woke up at 7am and started getting ready, I took a quick shower, blow dried my hair and tied it up in a ponytail. I got dressed in jean shorts and an old white plain t-shirt that I didn't mind getting ruined by paint.

I went downstairs and found aunt Jenna making pancakes, she was wearing black trousers and a blue shirt. She was obviously going to work.

Me and my younger brother Jeremy have been living with our aunt Jenna since our parents died 3 years ago. They were in a terrible car accident which lead to their death immediately. Jenna was living in New York at the time working at her dream company but she had to leave it and move to Mystic Falls because she was our guardian. She didn't make us to move to New York because she didn't want us to lose our friends too. So she left everything behind and moved to the most boring town ever to take care of two young teenagers dealing with their parents death .

It was hard on everyone. Everybody knows that one day the people we love are going to die but we all assume that it will be in the far future not now. But it's something we can't control and it happens in a blink of an eye. One second they're alive and the next they're dead.

But we got over it, it took time but we did it.

"Good morning"

She turned to look at me "Good morning. 5 minutes till breakfast"

I prepared the plates and made some tea while aunt Jenna finished making the pancakes. We then sat on the dining table and ate our breakfast .

"Last day today ?"

"Yup finally ! I should've stayed home and slept all day like Jeremy does"

"Oh please ! Don't mention him to me !"

Elena laughed "What did he do now ?"

"He stays up all night doing god knows what then he sleeps all day ! I think he's a vampire!"

Elena laughed again "He's enjoying his summer in his own way ...cut him some slack . Besides next week we'll be back at school and he'll be human again"

"I can't wait "

Aunt Jenna got up from her seat got her stuff. She then blew me a kiss and went to work .

After I finished eating I did the dishes and left some pancakes for when Jeremy wakes up. And before I knew it, I heard someone blowing their car horn and I knew it was Caroline.

I hurried outside and got in her car. Bonnie was already there .

Caroline is the only one with a car. Me and Bonnie have license but we don't have a car. Aunt Jenna lets me drive her car when she's not using it which is almost all the time. She only uses it when she goes to work and I can use it from 6pm. Which is pretty convenient .

"OMG Elena! What are you wearing ?!" Caroline asked as soon as I set foot in the car.

I looked down at myself not seeing anything wrong with my outfit.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Do you seriously want me to start telling you what's wrong ?! "

I rolled my eyes and Bonnie laughed . Caroline was a fashion freak . She spends 2 hours every morning before we go out to decide what to wear and what accessories to put and what shoes suits the outfit best and then she has to do her hair and make up .

Me and Bonnie are different. We like dressing up when there's an occasion or if we're going out somewhere but if it's just a volunteering job or going to school we don't really pay much attention. But Caroline insists that if we want to stay in our school social status we have to pay attention to what we wear. But I couldn't care less about our social status. And I knew that Bonnie also doesn't care .

Actually, thinking about it, I don't even know how or when we became part of the "it" crowd. We just always were. We are cheerleaders . Me and Caroline both have boyfriends in the football team and Bonnie recently broke up with hers. So I guess that automatically makes us popular. But we're not like those popular mean girls we watch on TV. We're normal. But people are always trying to be our friends and when we talk to anyone it's like they talked to a celebrity. And it annoys me. It annoys me so much.

No one seems to be annoyed by it except me and maybe sometimes Bonnie. Caroline loves getting attention. She loves when people compliment her or do whatever she wants but she's a real sweetheart once you get to know her .Even Matt -my boyfriend- seems to be ok with it. I've known Matt since I was a little girl, he lives next door and his parents were friends with my parents . But we never got along until recently . He was there for me when my parents died and we started bonding and I found out that he's really kind and sweet once you get to know him . One thing led to the other and the next thing you know we're an item .

He's a great boyfriend , he's there when I need him and he makes me laugh . And everyone can see how much he loves me . We've been together for 5 months now and he's told me that he loves me . The first time I didn't say it back and he was hurt but didn't let it show . But when I thought about it , I figured that I should say it , he's a great guy and it's not everyday that you have an amazing guy telling you that he loves you . So I did . I told him that I loved him . But I still don't know for sure if I do . I like him . A lot. But is it love ?

"We're going to paint walls today !" I answered Caroline. "I think I'm dressed properly ."

"What if we see a cute guy there today ? Do you want him to see you like this ?!"

"She already has a boyfriend Caroline" Bonnie reminded Caroline.

"Yeah I do and so do you" I said

"Having a boyfriend doesn't mean not appreciating other guys looks"

"And are you sure Tyler doesn't mind?" Bonnie asked teasing Caroline.

"It's innocent I'm no doing anything wrong"

Me and Bonnie snorted "Yeah right"

I've know Bonnie and Caroline for five years , we met when we joined cheerleading and we've been inseparable since. We're very different from each other but we get along just fine . They pretty much know everything about me . Well except for Stefan . They know nothing about him , I've never said a word about him . I don't know why, I just don't feel like they would understand. What me and Stefan have is special. He's the first boy I trusted with everything . I even used to have a crush on him when I was 12 , he was so sweet and caring and always there for me and I was still young and loving the idea of having a crush . But thank God I got over it .

They also don't know me as much as Stefan does . Writing to Stefan was like writing in a diary . I could write about everything I'm feeling . And he would do the same .

We arrived at the orphanage and immediately started working . We only got 1 hour break at 1pm but other than that we worked non stop . I was glad this was the last day because I don't think I could move my hands ever again after this .

* * *

At 5pm we were finally done . It looked pretty good . We once again got in Caroline's car but this time we were all too tired to talk . I have no idea how Caroline managed to drive but thankfully she did .

I was home at 5:30 and I was starving . I opened the door and went straight to the kitchen and found Jeremy and Jenna eating Pizza . My stomach growled .

I started walking to the table. My only focus was the pizza on the table and it's mouthwatering smell .

"Oh no you don't . Go clean up first ." Jenna said as I neared the table.

"But I'm starving"

"You'll live ."

"Just one piece !"

"Go take a shower and change your cloths and then you'll eat "

Jeremy was laughing looking at my expression

"And you better hurry before I finish it" He teased me .

I shot him a glare and went up the stairs . I was planning on taking a quick shower but there was paint stuck in my hair and all over my body and it took so much time to get it out .

When I finished , I got dressed and went downstairs . The pizza was still waiting and I didn't waste any more seconds before I started eating .

30 minutes later I went to my room and got ready to sleep but not before logging in and checking my e-mails and to see if Stefan was online .

And he was .

_**Stefan : You're done with volunteering ! Congrats**_

I couldn't help but smile . Of course he remembered .

_**Elena :Thank youu ! I can't believe it's finally over**_

_**Stefan :Yeah well no one forced you to go . You could've spent this summer home.**_

_**Elena :Look who's talking . The guy who spent his summer in football practice and helping at the hospital .**_

_**Stefan :We can't just stay home . That's why we're friends .**_

_**Elena :That's the only reason we're friends ?! I thought you actually liked me … I'm hurt**_

_**Stefan :Go sleep Elena . We'll talk tomorrow .**_

_**Elena :How did you know I was going to sleep .**_

_**Stefan :I can tell. I'm a psychic .**_

_**Elena :Yeah right ! I'll talk to you tomorrow . Good Night =)**_

_**Stefan : Good night . Sweet dreams **_

I shut off my laptop and snuggled in my bed . I still can't believe I'll see him next week . It's always been a dream of mine to see him for real . But I thought it'll never happen . And now it is . I tried to imagine how he looks , his eye color , his hair color , his height , his weight , his smile , his cheeks , his everything . And after 2 weeks I'll finally be able to see for myself how Stefan Salvatore looks.


	3. Chapter 2

**Heey guys =) This is chapter 2 and it's longer than chapter 1 . We get to see Stefan this chapter !I wanted to upload earlier but I didn't know if I should make Stefan and ELena's first meanting awkward or not . I finally made up my mind so here it is . **

**Thank you again for your reviews/follows/favorites , I can't tell you how much they mean to me . **

**Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter . And if you have any suggestions you can review or PM me =) **

**Enjoy**

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I wake up to the sound of my alarm blasting through the room . Ugh ! It's still 6:30 , want to sleep just for a few more minutes but I have to get up . It's the first day of school . The 2 past weeks passed in a blur , I have no idea where the days went or how I spent my time . One minute I'm in my room enjoying the first day of break after the volunteering and the next thing I know it's school .

Today I'm officially a senior , something I've been waiting for since the first day of school . But I still feel like a small girl . When I was little , I used to see senior girls and think Wow , when will I be like them ?! I thought they had everything figured out , I thought they were so lucky to have finished school . But now I wish I could be a little girl again where my worst problems where not being allowed to eat too much candy .

I get up from bed and open the window , it's a beautiful day. I take a deep breath .I'm so nervous , and it's not just because it's the beginning of the end . It has a lot to do with this guy I've never seen before . I can't believe I'll meet Stefan today . He arrived yesterday morning but he had to unpack so that took all day . And today I'll see my best friend.

But... What if he doesn't like me when he sees me? What if he thinks I'm ugly and doesn't speak to me ?! What if -

I stop myself right there . I know Stefan and I know he's not shallow. He's my best friend and he's not going to stop being that just because he finds me not pretty .

But that doesn't mean I shouldn't look my best today . First impressions are important and I want to make a good first impression .

I head to the bathroom , take a quick shower and dry my hair . I then stare at my closet for 20 minutes trying to decide what to wear . Finally I decide on my short jean skirt with a black loose top and my black ballet flats . I let my hair fall down my shoulders and apply little make up .

The rest of the morning is just like every other school day , have breakfast , drink coffee and wait for Caroline . I just hope she would be here on time because she has a tendency of losing track of time when she's focusing on her looks .

* * *

Caroline arrives a little late , we arrive at school just as the first bell rings , so we go straight to class . I have English literature for 1st period . I walk in the class room as the students are taking their places . As soon as I take my place I look around trying to see if there's a new guy somewhere but to my disappointment they are all people I've seen before .

The teacher starts talking about what we're expected to do this semester and the books and poems we're going to read. I listen at first but I'm too distracted . How do I find Stefan ? I don't know where to start . There are hundreds of students . How am I supposed to find him ? What if we don't have any class together ?!

First period ends and I'm still thinking about ways to find Stefan . I go to my locker and pick my books for the next period when Caroline comes rushing towards me .

"Elena!" She screams when she sees me.

I turn around and look at her raising one eyebrow "What happened ?!"

"OMG ! You wouldn't believe it ! There's a new guy and he's a senior !"

As soon as she said that I got excited , she must be talking about Stefan .

"Really ?! What's his name ?!"

"Stefan Salvatore. Doesn't he have a sexy name?"

I roll my eyes . "Did you see him ?"

"No not yet . But I heard 2 girls talking about him in the toilet . They said he's hot!"

He's hot ?! That just makes me want to see him even more . But I have to act normal because Caroline has no idea that she's talking about someone I know more than I know myself .

"Well, let's hope he's with us in one of our classes" I say

We walk together to our next class and find 2 empty seats next to each other . We sit down and as I did before I check if there are any new faces and as before I find none . And once again I'm trying to concentrate but failing miserably .

We have history the next class and Bonnie is also with us . We walk in the class and take our seats .I also look around but with no luck . I'm getting really frustrated . I just want to see him and get it over with ! I put my head in my hands and wait for the teacher to start talking so that I could get lost in my thoughts .

The teacher calls the class to order and just as everyone stops talking and we're all waiting for him to start , the door opens . And in walks the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen in my life . He's tall , muscular , a little tan . He has bronze hair that's slightly messed and beautiful green eyes . He's wearing dark jeans and a light green shirt that's making his eyes more pronounced . He's simply beautiful .

And he's new .

Could he be the one I've been looking for all morning ?!

He looks apologetically at the teacher and walks in . He takes a seat behind me but a little to the right . And I can't help but follow him with my eyes as he takes his seat . I am completely mesmerized by him .

"Ehem " The teacher says and brings me out of my haze .I turn around and notice that I'm not the only one gaping after the new boy , every girl in the class is staring at him .

"Good morning . I'm Mr. Alaric Saltzman , your history teacher . Now in this course , we will …." I stop listening and turn my face to stare once again at the guy who may or may not be Stefan .

He is looking at Mr. Saltzman , apparently listening to him . I keep looking at him , his eyes , his cheeks , his jaw , his lips … I lift my eyes once again to his eyes and find him looking at me . I know I should turn my face and be embarrassed for being caught staring at a stranger but I am trapped in his gaze. This weird electric current starts running threw my veins , my heart starts beating so fast and I can't breath .

"Miss Gilbert, am I interrupting something?"

I turn around and the spell is broken . Everyone is looking at me and I flush . "I'm sorry Mr. Saltzman "

He nods and continues his lecture .

Bonnie and Caroline give me questioning looks but I just shake my head . What the hell happened a minute ago ? He totally hypnotized me , I couldn't move . I couldn't breath . I couldn't even blink . It was like time stopped . It was just me and him .

The bell rings declaring the end of this class . And I don't know what to do ? Should I talk to him and see if he's Stefan or just ignore him and go to the cafeteria ? And if I go talk to him how am I going to react if he is Stefan . If I hug him Caroline and Bonnie will know that I'm keeping something from them . And shouldn't he make the first move since he knows I'm Elena thanks to Mr. Saltzman ?!

I sigh , stand up and pick up my books . But before I get to decide what to do , Caroline pulls me and starts walking . Bonnie stands on my other side .

"What was that ?!" Caroline hisses as soon as we were out of the class.

I decide to play the clueless card . "What was what ?" I ask as innocently as I can .

"You know what ! You and the new guy whom I highly suspect is Salvatore"

"I was just looking at him"

Caroline gives me a look that says I-don't-believe-you . After all she is my friend , she knows when I'm lying .

"Elena , we saw you . We saw the way you were looking at each other" Bonnie says

I sigh "He's hot and I was just looking"

They roll their eyes and nod but otherwise don't push the subject more .

We walk to the cafeteria to eat . We get our food and sit on our table . Our table is mostly people I've never really liked . It has around 15 people all jocks and cheerleaders and they do nothing but laugh and talk about other people . Even though we sit with them , we don't engage in their conservations . We mostly keep to ourselves .

"Hey baby"

Matt's voice comes from behind me , he puts his arms around me and kisses me lightly . He then sits on the chair next to me .

"Hi" I turn my face to look at him "How's your first day?"

"It was fine but much better now" He says as he kisses me on the cheek .

I smile and snuggle to him .

We stay that way for a long time . Eating , drinking and talking .Matt is drinking an orange juice when suddenly someone bumps into his chair which causes the juice to fall from his hand . I pull away quickly but it's too late . My cloths are soaked with orange juice .

"I'm so so sorry ! I didn't mean to!" The girl who caused all this apologizes . She looks terrified .

"It's fine . I'll just go clean it up"

"I'll come with you "says Bonnie getting up .

I shake my head "No it's fine"

I hurry to the toilet and go in . My top is black so the juice is not that obvious , but my skirt is a different story .I try wiping it but after a few minutes I give up . My arms and legs are very sticky so I wash them quickly and then dry them . It's not getting any better than this .

I get out and suddenly bump into a hard chest . I almost fall on my back but strong hands are on my arms holding me in place . I raise my head and my eyes meat beautiful green ones.

We are so close so I take a step back and he removes his hands . "I'm sorry I wasn't looking" I apologize

He smiles slightly "No it's fine"

I don't know what else to say .If he's Stefan then he should say something that indicates that right ?! After all Mr. Saltzman did call me Miss Gilbert .

He frowns slightly at me "Why do you smell like orange juice ?! I thought you hated it "

My eyes widen and my mouth falls slightly open . This is my Stefan . He's the only one who knows that I don't drink orange juice .

"Stefan" I whisper

He smiles "Elena"

I smile back at him "It's really you"

He laughs "Yup . The one and only"

I don't know why , I don't know how but suddenly I'm in his arms hugging him . I'm hugging him for all the times he was there for me , for all the times he made me laugh , for keeping my secrets , for understanding me , for being my best friend . And he hugs me back tightly . And it feels so right being in his arms , like nothing can touch me , nothing can harm me . I've never felt like this before .

"I can't believe I've finally met you" He whispers in my ear.

I smile and pull away "Me neither"

"Don't take this as being too forward or anything but … wow... you're beautiful"

Many people had told me that I am beautiful before so why did it make my heart skip a beat when he said it ?! The way he said ,it was so sincere .

I laugh and blush a little "Thank you Mr. Salvatore . You're pretty handsome yourself . I definitely didn't expect you to look like this" I say gesturing at him .

It is Stefan's turn to laugh "What did you expect ?!"

I shrug "I don't know but not this"

"So am I better or worst than your expectations ?"

"Better . Definitely better"

I really don't know what I expected him to look like , but standing here talking to him in person felt like the most normal thing in the world . And it didn't matter that I never saw him before , it didn't matter that I never heard his voice before . All that mattered is that my best friend is here in front of me making me laugh .

He opened his mouth to say something when the bell declaring the end of lunch break rings .

I gave him a smile "I have to go . I'll see you later"

He seems like he is debating whether to say something or not but I think he chose not to because he only says "Yeah later" and we go our separate ways .

The rest of the classes finish in a blur , Stefan isn't with me in any other class and I don't know if I'm disappointed or grateful .

The final bell rings and students are everywhere . I go to my locker and get the books I need for today quickly because I don't want to be late at Caroline . I close the locker and turn around to find Caroline walking towards me . But that's not what surprises me , it's the guy next to her . Caroline is walking with Stefan . And they are talking . And I have this feeling in my heart .I don't know what it is . But I don't like it .

"Elena " Caroline smiles sweetly ."This is Stefan. Stefan this is Elena my best friend"

Stefan looks at me in amusement and extends his hand and we shake hands "Nice to meet you" He says with a smile .

I narrow my eyes at him "Nice to meet you too Stefan"

"Stefan is my lab partner in Biology" Caroline says obviously excited .

"Really ?! Well you're -" I stop mid sentence , I was going to say that Caroline is lucky because Stefan loves Biology . "I mean I hope you're good at Biology Stefan because Caroline here is … um well not good" I hoped no one noticed my slip .

Stefan laughs and we all join in but Caroline looks angry "Hey , I'm not that bad "

I suddenly feel arms around my waist and I turn my face only to be kissed with so much force . Only Matt kisses that way .

"Eww" Caroline mocks me .

We pull apart and laugh . He stands next to me and keeps his arm protectively around me . I look at Stefan and he looks hurt ?! Sad?! But he quickly composes himself and smiles .

"Stefan , this is Matt " Stefan knows all about Matt , he knows how I used to hate him when I was little and how we used to argue all the time . He knows when I fell for him and how we got together . He knows all about him .

They shake hands briefly .

"So you're new here ?" Matt asks trying to be friendly .

"Yup , just moved here"

"How is Mystic Falls so far?"

"It's good . Better than I expected" He looks briefly at me when he says this but it's so quick that I think I imagined it .

"Well, it's nice to meet you Stefan." Matt says then he turns to look at me "I'll talk to you later baby" and kisses me on the cheek.

"Aren't they the sweetest thing ever ?!" Caroline muses when Matt walks away.

Stefan smiles but it doesn't touch his eyes "Yeah they are"

I don't know why it feels awkward all of the sudden but it does . And I just want to go home .

"I'll see you later Stefan. Come on Caroline let's go"

Caroline looks surprised that I'm in such a hurry but she nods , says goodbye to Stefan and we leave.

* * *

**Later at night : **

I lay awake in my bed thinking about Stefan . He sent me an e-mail after school saying that he was happy that we finally met and I told him that I was happy too . But we didn't talk . And I can't shake this feeling of weirdness with him . I don't know how to act around him . No one knows me like Stefan . Stefan knows the real me , the bookworm ,goofy , silly me . But at school, I'm not the real me , at school I'm Miss Popular . And I don't know what to do . If he sees who I am in real life he'll hate me , I know he will . And the thought of him hating me sends an ach in my heart that's so painful . I can't bare the thought of him hating me . And I don't know what to do …


	4. Chapter 3

**Heey guys =) How are you doing ? **  
**I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time but here's the new chapter . **  
**I'm going away on a vacation on the 30th of August and I'll be back on the 30th of September , and I don't think I'll be abe to write during my vacation . But hopefully I'll be able to update once more before I go . **

**Anyway, Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you still like the story . **

**Please review and let me know your thoughts and ideas . It would make my day ! **  
**Here's chapter 3 . Enjoy =)**

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Two weeks passed . Two weeks . And I haven't spoken to Stefan except once . I have spent 10 years of my life talking to Stefan every single day and now he's here , just a few blocks away from me and I see him every day but we don't talk . And I hate it . I hate it so much . It's Stefan ! I've never felt so distant from him . Even when he was miles and miles away , I always felt he was here with me . But now I don't know how to talk to him or what to say .

I'm very depressed . I miss talking to him and having no worries as to what to say , I could always be myself with Stefan but now I can't . And it's killing me . I just want to talk to him and laugh and joke and tease him and him teasing me . I miss him so much it hurts . I just want my best friend back . I feel so empty without him .

The second day of school , I didn't see Stefan except in History class and he just smiled at me . I wanted to talk to him but Caroline and Bonnie were there .

Do you know what's the thing that's disturbing me the most ?!

It's the fact that Caroline can talk to him all she wants and I can't . She's always talking to him , they have 2 classes together so they see each other a lot. I love Caroline but when she's talking to him , I can't help but feel a little hatred towards her . But at least Caroline is a good person , I know her and I know if Stefan needs someone she'll be there . Unlike our head cheerleader Katherine Peirce .

Katherine is … well , she's a B**** , there's no other way to say it . She has long brown hair that's always so well done , big brown eyes and a body to die for . She always wears very short dresses or skirts and extremely tight tops that show too much cleavage . She slept with 99.9% of the guys at our school . She has them all wrapped around her little fingers .

And now , she has eyes for Stefan . I don't know how they actually met but unfortunately they did . She invited Stefan to sit at our lunch table and she's always sitting next to him or on top of him . She's always flirting with him, fluttering her eyes, pushing her cleavage on him, touching him and whispering in his ear. I don't know why he doesn't push her away , he seems like he enjoys all this attention .

I wish I could tell him that she's only using him because he's hot , that he's just a name on her list but I can't because we're not talking like we used to . I just don't want to see him hurt . I know that when Stefan loves , he loves with all his heart . And I know that he had his heart broken once before and I remember how brokenhearted he was . I don't want to see him like that again . He deserves a girl that makes him happy and actually cares about him . Not some slut who only wants to sleep with him and then cheat on him .

* * *

I get up from bed at 10:30 , it's finally the weekend . I have a quick shower and put on sweatpants and a t-shirt and go downstairs . Jenna is out with a friend to have breakfast and Jeremy is still sleeping . I have some cereals and then start pacing around the house trying to figure what to do . I wanted something that could take my mind off Stefan and I finally decided to reread one of my favorite books .

I go back to the backyard , lie down on stomach and start reading . I was doing fine for a few minutes until a certain someone started popping into my mind . I closed the book with a bang and turned to lie on my back with an annoyed sigh . Why couldn't I take him off my mind ?! Seriously, I felt like I was cheating on Matt for constantly thinking about another guy .

Of course that's an other problem; my relationship with Matt . I tried , I really did but I just can't love him . I want to , I really do but I just can't . Maybe there's something wrong with me , after all , girls would kill to have a guy like Matt in love with them. I want to break up with him because I don't want to lead him on anymore but it will break his heart , and I can't bear being responsible for breaking his heart .

GOD ! I have to do something , anything . I don't want to think anymore .

I decide to go to the Grill , there are always people hanging out there and I could talk to someone and hopefully it will occupy my mind .

I get up and go to my room . I pick a hot pink one-shoulder dress , with a thin brown belt on the waist and my brown sandals . I braid my hair and apply a little make up . I do all this in the hope of keeping my mind busy and I think I kind of succeeded .

Since the car is with Jenna , I go walking . It's a nice day and the Grill is not far . Kids are playing in the streets and people are having get togethers and grilling outside . It's all very natural . It reminds me of my parents , especially my dad. He loved to grill , whenever the weather was good , he would go outside and grill .

* * *

I arrive at the Grill 20 minutes later and I'm right; there are so many people there . I walk inside and find Matt siting with some of his friends , his eyes meet mine and he smiles , gets up and walks towards me . He puts his hands around my waist and pulls me in for a kiss .

"Hey you" He says as he pulls away .

"Hi"

He walks me to their table and I sit with his friends , I can tell they are very annoyed at him for bringing me to sit with them but they don't say a word . I let my eyes wonder around the place , looking for faces I know , until my eyes land on _him_ .

He's here , Stefan is here . He looks as gorgeous as ever . But that's not what makes my heart beat so fast . It's the fact that he's here with not anyone but Miss Katherine Peirce . They are sitting on a table at the back , cuddling . She's practically sitting on his lab and they're laughing . Why is he with her ?! Doesn't he know she's bad news ?! Hasn't anyone told him ?!

I look away quickly before he catches me staring at him , or before Matt sees me staring at another guy .

* * *

I spend 2 hours at the Grill doing nothing but keeping tabs on Stefan and Katherine's date . He seems genuinely happy . I can't understand why or how . She's a b**** . She's only using him .

I get up abruptly and walk to their table , I hear Matt calling for me but at that second I don't care . Before I reach their table Stefan raises his head and his eyes meat mine , he gives me a questioning look but I keep going until I'm standing directly in front of their table .

I stay silent for a minute wondering why I came here and what I wanted to say . But when Katherine turns her face and stares at me I remember why .

"Oh look who's here " Katherine says sweetly .

I force a smile and then look at Stefan "I need to talk to you" I say seriously .

He looks at me , trying to read me , trying to figure out why I suddenly decided to talk to him .

"Well , honey , I'm sure it could wait . See me and Stefan are on a date " Katherine says smugly.

I don't look at her , I keep my eyes locked on Stefan waiting for him to say something .

He blinks and then turns to look at his date "I'll be right back" He then gets up and we walk together outside the Grill and stand in the parking lot .

I turn around to face him and he's looking at me , waiting. This is so awkward. It never felt awkward with Stefan before .

"I'm sorry I'm keeping you from your date" I say apologetically

He shrugs "It's fine . What's wrong?"

I take a deep breath , here it goes "Are you sure you want to be with Katherine?!"

He looks confused "I'm not with her , I'm still getting to know her and so far she seems friendly"

"Friendly ?! That's got to be the first time I hear Katherine and friendly in the same sentence!"

"I hate to burst your bubble but she is ! What's your problem with her ?! You're always looking at her with such hatred "

"Katherine Peirce is NOT friendly ! She's just using you" I say rather too loud

"Well at least she's talking to me . She's being my friend !" He says just as loudly

Ouch... That hits string. He's right .She's being his friend and I'm not.

I feel tears threatening to roll down my eyes and I hold them in . I look at the ground , too scared to meet his eyes .

"I'm sorry ." I whisper .

He's silent for a little then he sighs and I can hear him moving forward until he's standing in front of me . He tilts me head upward until my eyes meet his .

"I didn't mean to yell at you"

I shake my head "No it's fine you're right."

"What happened to us ?!"

"Life"

"I don't want us to be like this anymore . I want my best friend back"

I can't hold the tears in anymore and they roll down my cheeks.

"I want my best friend back too . I've missed you Stefan"

He pulls me in for a hug . He holds me so close just like the last time . And it sends tingles all over my body .

"I've missed you too"

"So what now?" I say when he lets me go .

"Now , we start talking to each other in school , we start hanging out and getting to know each other even more "

"That sounds nice"

"Yeah it does"

We stare at each other for a few more minutes and everything around up stops .It's like we're in a bubble .

"Stefaaan!" Katherine's voice comes from close by . She's looking for Stefan . He voice bursts the bubble and suddenly we're back on earth.

"I should go to my date but I'll call you later today so we can do something , what do you say?"

"Yeah sure . I'd love to"

He grins and gives me his phone to save my number . And then he goes back to the grill .

I go back inside for a few minutes only to say goodbye to Matt . And then I walk back home smiling like an idiot all way long .


	5. Chapter 4

**Hii =) This chapter will be the last one till October ; I'm going on a vacation for a month and I don't think I'll be able to write . But I will try . **

**Thank you for your reviews , I read them all and I love them . **

**Thank you for adding the story to your favorites/alerts , it also means so much to me . **

**Here's chapter 4 , enjoy it and please review =) **

* * *

I'm so excited ! I've been restless since the moment I set foot in my house and realized that I will see Stefan again today . I decided to clean my room so that the time will pass a little bit more quickly , and by clean I mean rearranging my whole closet , wiping the dust of my desk ,wiping the floor and arranging my stories alphabetically. After all that it was still 4pm ! So I decided to play video games with Jeremy.

Jeremy is in the living room deeply engaged in a game . I walk to him till I am right behind him .

"Hey Jer"

"Hi" He says without actually paying any attention to me .

"Can I play with you?"

"uhmm"

"Is that a yes ?!"

"God ! Hold on a sec !"

I sit next to him and wait for him to finish . I love video games and I get how you can't have a normal conversation while playing , so I stayed quiet .

Jeremy finishes the level and turns to look at me .

"You wanna play?"

"Yup"

"Here you go" He gives me the other joystick and we start playing .

We spend the next 2 hours playing ,I'm enjoying it a lot but that doesn't mean that I'm not waiting for Stefan to call me because I am . My cell phone is on my lab and I check it every few minutes but it never rings.

* * *

When Jenna arrives home we are still playing . She has spent the whole day with her friend . She starts making dinner and after one hour dinner is ready.

We sat together at the table eating and sharing what we did during the day . Jenna was an okay cook , she knew how to make basic dishes but she never tries something new . But I can't complain, after all she's doing all this for us .

While we are eating , my mobile rings . It actually rings . And it takes me a few seconds to realize that it's finally actually ringing .

I bolt from the table in a hurry and get my phone from the couch , I look at it and find an anonymous number , I'm get slightly disappointed before I remember that Stefan got my number but I didn't get his .

I quickly answer and go to my room because I had an audience .

"Hello?"

"Hi Elena , it's me Stefan" Why does his voice give me butterflies in my stomach?!

"Hi Stefan"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm having dinner"

"Oh God I'm so sorry . I didn't see what time it was before I called"

I laughed "No it's fine , don't worry about it "

"So about going out …"

"Yeah , what about it?"

"I was thinking that since I'm new here and I know nothing that you could give me a tour around town."

He sounds uncertain , like he thinks I'm actually going to say no . Which of course will never ever happen .

"That's a great idea . Do you want to meet somewhere or …?"

"I was thinking we could meet by the Grill since it's the only place I know , and then we could walk and you'll show me around"

"Ok that sound good . I'll see you in say an hour?"

"Yeah sure . See you"

I hang up and grin like a stupid girl . I feel like jumping up and down which is a weird feeling since I'm just hanging out with a friend .

I return to the dining table and continue eating . Jenna asks me who was on the phone and I tell her it was Matt because firstly she has no idea who Stefan is and secondly she wouldn't believe me if I said Bonnie or Caroline because I wouldn't ditch dinner to answer them .

As soon as I finish eating , I help Jenna with the dishes then I go to my room to get ready . What do you wear while giving a tour around town ?!

After a few minutes I decided to wear blue skinny jeans and a red loose top with some accessories . I kept my hair braided and reapplied a little makeup .

I told Jenna that I was going to hang out with some friends and she let me take her car . But of course not before reminding me to be home home by 12 .

* * *

10 minutes later I was parked in the Grill's parking lot and sitting on the bench outside waiting for Stefan . I was there 5 minutes earlier than the time we agreed on . And I knew that if I told Bonnie and Caroline they would yell at me for being there early because it will make me seem too eager . But to be honest I am eager and I don't care that I'm here early . I miss him and I'm not ashamed of admitting it nor seeming eager about it .

"You're here early" Comes Stefan's voice from behind me and makes me slightly jump .

I turn around and watch him as he comes to stand in front of me .

"Only a few minutes early"

He smiles that smile that makes my heart melt . He then offers me his hand and I take it -a little too eagerly perhaps- , he pulls me up but keeps my hand in his .

"Let the tour begin Miss Gilbert"

We start walking around town , I don't know what to show him since we don't have that much to show in Mystic Falls . There are some pretty nice places but they are a little far away from town and it is getting dark . So I show him the Book Shop , the mall -which is a building of a 5 or 6 shops- ,our only fancy restaurant and the park . I don't know what else there is . So we end up sitting on the grass next to each other in the park talking .

"So you basically have nothing fun to do in Mystic Falls?" Stefan says .

"I never said we did. "

He laughs and I join .

"Can I ask you something ?" He asks me when we stop laughing .

I look at him curiously "Sure"

"You told me that Jenna was living in New York before she moved here . So why didn't you go to live with her ? I'm sure New York is much more fun than Mystic Falls"

"I'm sure it is . It's just … this is home . You know? I grew up here and my friends are here , my whole life is here . It's all I know ."

He looks at me like he's waiting for something then he says "So it has nothing to do with your parents ?!"

Oh God ! How can he read me so easily ?! I smile a little at him . "You're good at reading my mind"

He smiles back "I've had a lot of practice"

"When I'm at the kitchen I remember my mom's cooking , when I'm in the back yard I remember my dad grilling , when I'm late for school I remember my parents yelling at me and being so angry but not letting me go without breakfast , when I stay up late I remember my dad waking up and sitting next to me asking me if there's something wrong , when I go sleep over at Caroline's or Bonnie's I remember my mom calling me before she goes to bed t make sure I'm okay . And I'm afraid that if I ever leave Mystic Falls , those memories will go too . And I don't want them to go . They are all I have left of my parents ."

He puts his arms around me and pulls me close to him . "Those memories will never leave you . They are a part of who you are .You will always remember your parents even if you're miles and miles away . "

I feel so relaxed in his arms , I don't want to move . Ever.

"Matt seems like a nice guy" He says after a while , he's obviously trying to lighten up the mood .

"Yeah he is . He's really sweet . You'll get along "

"You think so?!"

"Yup" I decide it is my turn to talk about relationships "You and Katherine seem to be hitting it on"

He laughs "She's really nice to me and I think there might be a future for our relationship . We're not together or anything but I think we will be soon."

I try to pretend that he is talking about a different Katherine than the one know .

"That's good" I force myself to say .

We go quiet again and I am so comfortable in this position , with his arms around me and my head on his shoulder .

"This feels soo … so..." I trail off unable to find a word that describes what I'm feeling .

"Right" Stefan finishes my sentence. "This feels so right"

I turn my face up to look at him "Yeah it does"

I don't know what his eyes do to me , whenever I look at him I feel trapped , like I can't take my eyes off of his . And I don't want to . I am held prisoner by his eyes and I don't mind .

* * *

An hour later we are back at the Grill , we go inside to drink some hot chocolate and I catch sight of the clock .

"Oh My GOD ! Jenna is going to kill me !"

Stefan looks at me in alarm "What's wrong ?!"

"It's 12:45 ! I'm always supposed to be home by 12 ! I have to go I'm so sorry"

He looks kind of sad when I say that I must leave "It's fine. Let me walk you to your car"

He's such a gentleman , he walks me to my car then he opens the door for me .

"Thank you so much for the tour"

I smile "It was my pleasure"

"What are you doing tomorrow?" He asks as I was getting in the car.

I sit on the car-seat "I was planning on studying actually . Why do you have something in mind ?"

"Do you need a study buddy ?!" He asks with a grin .

I usually prefer to study on my own because I get distracted when there are other people around . But how could I say no when he's smiling like this?!

"Sure . How about you come over at noon ?"

"That sounds good "

"Ok I'll call you tomorrow to tell you where my house is"

"Ok great . See you and drive safe"

"I will "

I close the door wave goodbye and go straight home .

I open the house door as silently as I could . I'm praying that Jenna is sleeping and not waiting to ambush me .

The house is so quiet and all the lights are off which hopefully means that everyone is sleeping . I head to my room and change my clothes quickly . And then go to bed . Thank God Jenna is sleeping !

I close my eyes and try to sleep when I hear my cell phone vibrating. I pick it up and check it to find a message from Stefan.

**_Did you arrive home safely ?! ~S_**

Could he get any sweeter ?! I'm the luckiest girl in the world for having a best friend like him .

**_Yeah I did. Did you? ~E_**

I wait a minute before he answers.

**_Yup I'm home. I had a great time today =) ~S_**

**_Me too ! I'll see tomorrow . Good night xD ~E_**

**_Good Night :D ~S_**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey Hey Hey ! I'm back from my vacation! I missed writing to you guys so much!  
First of all I want to thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. They made me so happy.  
Secondly I want to thank you for adding the story to your favorites/alerts.  
Thirdly I know what it's like to find an update to a story you can't even remember, so there's a little summary of everything that's happened before.  
And Finally, I hope you're still interested in the story. And please don't forget to review. You'll make my day.**

**Anyway, here's the summary followed by chapter 5.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Previously on**_** "Pen Friends?"**_

_Stefan and Elena have been writing to each other for 10 years and they became best friends. They've never seen each other or heard each other's voices._

_Stefan's dad gets a job in Mystic falls, so the whole family moves there. He goes to same school as Elena._

_Elena has 2 best friends, Caroline and Bonnie and a boyfriend; Matt. But no one knows about Stefan. _

_Katherine is the head cheerleader, she's a complete B**** and now she has eyes on Stefan. _

_At first, things between Stefan and Elena were awkward because Elena didn't want him to hate the real life version of her. She's a popular girl at her school and she was afraid he would hate her. But then they talked and they're back on track. _

_In the last chapter, Elena took Stefan on a tour around town to show him the important things. And they agreed on studying together the next day (Which takes place in this chapter) in Elena's house at noon._

* * *

**I think that's all. Here's chapter 5.**

I wake up to the sound of music blasting in the house, it's so loud! I roll over and put the pillow over my head trying to block the sound but with no luck. I groan loudly and open my eyes. It's so bright in my room , it looks like it's already noon , I look at the clock on the wall and it says it's 11:25 ; almost noon … I close my eyes again praying that whoever has put the music on would kindly turn it off .

I feel my mobile vibrating next to me but I ignore it. And then it hit me, It's 11:25 and Stefan is coming over at 12. That means he's coming over in 35 freaking minutes!

I get up from bed so fast and rush to the bathroom. I don't have time to take a shower so I just wash my face and brush my teeth. My hair is a little curly from braiding it yesterday so I leave it be. I put on some dark blue sweat pants and a white top. And then go downstairs just to remember that I hadn't given Stefan my address and he probably thinks that I'm ignoring him. I go back upstairs and grab my phone. I have 3 missed calls, one voice mail and one message all from Stefan. The message was sent before the calls were made.

_**Are we still on for today? ~S**_

I listened to the voice mail next.

_**Hey Elena, it's me Stefan. I sent you a text and called but you're not picking up. I thought we were supposed to study together today but umm … maybe you're busy or something. Anyway take care, bye.**_

OMG! He sounds so sad on the phone.

I dial his number quickly and wait for an answer.

_"Finally"_ He says as soon as he picks up the phone.

_"I know I know! I'm so sorry; I overslept and just woke up"_

_"You're lucky I'm a forgiving person."_

_"And a very modest one"_ I say and I hear him laughing quietly and it warms my heart.

_"So, how about I come at 1 instead?!"_

_"Oh God! Yes that would be perfect!"_

_"It's settled then. Please don't go back to bed" _He says mockingly.

I have to laugh at that _"Don't worry I won't. I'll see you soon."_

_"See you"_

We hang up and I sigh of relief. I take a deep breath and go back downstairs only to find Jenna cleaning the house. Well she wasn't actually cleaning; she was dancing all around the house while occasionally wiping something. So this is where the music that woke me came from …

"Good morning Jenna" I scream over the loud music.

Jenna turns around, smiles and then turns off the radio.

"I didn't wake you up did I?" She asks with a smirk

"Oh no. Not at all."

"I was planning on waiting for you for breakfast but you didn't wake up. So I already ate"

"It's fine"

I go to the kitchen and have some left over pancakes and a cup of coffee.

"Just so you know" I say as I sat down eating "A friend is coming over to study with me at 1"

"Oh ?! Is it someone I know?"

"No"

She leaves the task at hand and turns to stare at me "Can I get a name?"

"It's Stefan"

"Aha. It's a guy friend"

"Obviously"

Jenna rolls her eyes and continues cleaning.

"Well," Jenna said after a moment "You can use the kitchen table"

I chocked on my coffee "What?!"

"You can use it for studying. I'll be done cleaning by then so it won't be too loud"

"Are you serious? What are we 12?"

"I don't care if you're 12 or 22, as long as you're living here, no guy will be allowed in your room"

"But Matt is always in my room."

"Yeah well Matt is an exception. I've known him since he was little and his parents were your parents' friends"

"But that doesn't make him less of a guy!" I say angrily. Why is she being so unrealistic?! I haven't even thought about where I and Stefan were going to study. But I should get to decide what's better not forced into it!

"If it makes you feel better, since this moment even Matt isn't allowed in your room."

"OH MY GOD! Why are you doing this?! It's not like I'm going to have sex with the guy if he's in my room, we're going to study!" I yell at her

"I've never heard of his name before and now you're expecting me to let him into your room?!" She yells back

"I don't expect you to let me! I expect you to let me make my own decisions concerning who can and who can't be in my room! I thought you trusted me!"

"I do trust you but I'm drawing a line" She says firmly.

"You know what?! Forget it, he's not coming!"I say as I storm off to my room and close the door with a loud bang.

I put on my sneakers, get my cell phone and wallet, go downstairs and head out of the house and walk aimlessly in the streets.

I send a text to Stefan telling him that something came up and we will study some other day. At first he didn't answer, instead he called me but I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone so I didn't answer. So he had to send me a text telling me that it's fine and asking me if there's something wrong. After that I shut my phone off and continued walking.

I didn't know where to go, I thought about going to Bonnie's or Caroline's but then I'd have to tell them about me and Stefan and I didn't want to do that. At least not yet. I could go to Matt's house but firstly I doubted that he would be there and secondly I don't really want to see him now. I guess that says a lot about our relationship if I can't even go to him when I'm having a bad day.

* * *

I end up at the park -which I showed Stefan yesterday- sitting on a bench as far away from people and kids as possible. And I get lost in my thoughts.

What happened today?! Why was Jenna acting like I'm an irresponsible teenage girl when she knows I'm not. I've never given her a reason not to trust me. Yes, I may have arrived home after curfew 2 or 3 times but other than that I never do anything stupid.

My grades are really good, my room is always clean, I do the dishes from time to time, I take out the garbage when asked to, I don't do drugs,… And still she doesn't trust me alone with a boy in my room studying.

I'm angry, annoyed and mad. But mostly I'm hurt. I'm hurt that she thinks so little of me.

"What's my best friend doing here all on her own?"

I suddenly hear him saying from behind me. I turn around and he's there. He's actually there. Walking towards me. He has a little smile on his face at first but as soon as I turn around and he sees my face he frowns.

"Why are you crying? What happened?"

I don't realize till then that I'm crying, I turn around and wipe my tears quickly. Stefan sits next to me and without any other word he pulls me to his side and hugs me close. And I break down; I can't hold the tears in anymore. So I let them fall. I let everything loose, all my hurt, all my sadness, all my worries, all my distress. Everything.

After a few minutes I calm down. I lift my head and sit straight. I look at Stefan and he's looking back at me with so much compassion in his eyes.

"I owe you a new shirt" I say when I notice that his shirt is soaked with my tears.

He smiles a little but it doesn't reach his eyes "Yeah you do"

He's trying to lighten the mood which is much appreciated.

We stay quiet for a few more minutes. Being with him was comfortable. I've always preferred being on my own when I was sad because if I was around people I usually say something that I regret later. But that didn't happen with Stefan, instead of being angry, I am calm.

"How did you know I am here?"

"I didn't. I just remembered you saying that you love sitting in a peaceful outdoor place when you're sad so I hoped you'd be here since this is the only park I know."

"But how did you know I was sad?!" I ask confused.

He raises his eyebrow at me "Are you serious?! I've known you for 10 years. I can tell when you're sad and when you're not."

I smile at his words; he really does know me. "Thank you for coming here"

"That's what friends are for" He pauses a little then talks again "I'm here if you want to talk about it"

I look at him and again I'm lost in his eyes. "I got into this fight with Jenna"

"What was it about?"

Suddenly all this argument seemed very silly. "It's just a stupid argument"

"If you were crying because of it, I'm sure it's not stupid"

I don't know if I should tell him. I mean what am I supposed to say? My aunt didn't want you into my room because she thought we're going to have sex?! That didn't seem appropriate.

But I didn't want to lie to him either. He was here for me the whole time and didn't complain about me ruining his shirt .The least I could do is be honest with him.

So I tell him. I tell him the whole thing. And he listens to me patiently till I finish.

"So the fight was because of me" He says when I'm done talking.

"I wasn't angry because of that, after all she's never heard of you before this day so it's perfectly normal for us to study anywhere in the house other than my room. But for her to order me to do so is what hurts. It's like she doesn't trust me to make my own decisions."

He pulls me back to his arms and again it is comforting.

"You should talk to her. You have calmed down and I'm sure she has too. I'm sure there's something more to it. Because from what I heard about Jenna over the years, I got that she's easy going and understanding. So maybe you should see why she acted that way today." He suggests.

I think about what he says and I know he's right. Something must have happened for Jenna to act that way. I guess I'm gonna have to talk to her as soon as I get home.

"Yeah you're right"

"I usually am" He smirks and I hit him playfully on his chest.

* * *

We spend the next hour talking about lighter subjects; what he thinks of Mystic Falls, how his dad is finding his job, if his mom likes being a housewife,… After that he walks me home, hugs me goodbye and wishes me luck with the Jenna thing.

I take a deep breath and open the door; I can hear the sound of video games which means Jeremy is in the living room.

As soon as I close the door, Jenna comes rushing from the kitchen.

"Oh thank GOD!" She says with obvious relief as she hugs me so tightly that I can barely breathe.

I return her hug awkwardly, trying to figure out why she's over-reacting.

She pulls away and there are tears in her eyes!

"I thought something happened to you; you were gone for 6 hours! I was so worried!"

6 hours?! I've been in the park for 6 straight hours?! That's weird.

"I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't paying much attention to the time." Not with the green eyed guy sitting next to me anyway.

"Oh ok." She takes a few deep breaths.

"We need to talk Elena" She says after a few seconds silence.

I nod and she leads me to the bench on the front porch.

We stay silent for the first few minutes. I'm waiting for her to say something and she looks like she's trying to think of what to say or how to say it.

"I didn't mean to yell at you this morning. I admit I over-reacted. I should've trusted your judgment."

"But why didn't you? I never did anything for you not to trust me."

"I don't know. I just… "She sighed then she continued."Okay I'm just gonna be completely honest with you. The other day I was at the grocery shop and 2 of our neighbors where there and I overheard them talking about me not being a good guardian. About how I let your boyfriend in the house as long as he likes and how you get home at midnight and how Jeremy is always playing video games and such. And I guess I let it get to me and I shouldn't have."

"But how do they know those things?!"

"I have no idea but some people have nothing better to do than spying on others then gossiping about them"

"But Jenna, you know they're wrong , don't you?"

"I don't know Elena"

"But they are. You're a great guardian and role model. You hear me out when I need someone to listen, you set some boundaries but don't go too far, you're always there for us. Yeah maybe you did a few mistakes but we all do. So don't listen to them. You are doing your best"

Jenna turns to me and hugs me. "I promise I'll always keep doing my best" She murmurs.

* * *

The rest of the day passes quickly. I end up studying a little which is good. But before I go to bed there's one thing left for me to do.

I pick up my phone and dial the number.

_"Hello"_ his mesmerizing voice greats me on the phone.

_"Hi Stefan. What are you doing?"_

_"I'm doing my homework"_

_"Oh ok. I don't want to keep you from your homework so I'll talk to you later"_

_"No no! It's fine. What's up?"_

_"I talked to Jenna and everything is good again."_

_"That's great! So was there a reason for her being that way?"_

_"Yeah"_ I say and I proceed to tell him what Jenna told me.

_"I'm glad everything's settled now"_ He says when I'm done telling the story.

_"Me too"_I pause a little before I continue to the reason of my phone call.

_"I called you because I wanted to thank you. I wanted to thank you for being there for me today and comforting me when I needed comforting. You're a great friend and I couldn't be happier to have you here in Mystic Falls."_

_"I'm happy too. But there's no need for you to thank me. You would've done the same. "_

_"But still I really appreciate it"_

_"That's what I'm here for"_

_"I'll see tomorrow"_

_"Yeah see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams Elena"_

_"You too Stefan"_

We hang up and I tuck myself in bed with a silly smile on my face. I'm having all those weird feeling inside me and I don't know what they are.

But I do know that I have to end things with Matt. I don't want to string him along anymore. I tried, I really tried to love him. But I can't. I guess love is one of these things you can't force yourself to feel. It just comes to you with the right person at the right time.

So tomorrow I have to talk to Matt and end this. I don't want to wait anymore because if I wait and tell Bonnie and Caroline they'll make me change my mind. They'll make me feel bad about leaving him.

But I'm doing the right thing. Being with him when I obviously don't feel anything other than friendship isn't fair for both me and him.

Plus I… I think, my crush on Stefan might be back.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone =) Thank you for all your reviews and thanks for adding my story to your alert/favorites . **

**I was planning on updating much earlier but I just couldn't write. I knew what I wanetd to write but I couldn't write it . But the chapter is finally here and I think it's a good one. **

**Updates are going to be slow , probably one chapter a month. This semester in college is killing me . I wake up at 5:30 and go back home at 4:30 which means that I go back home exhausted. **

**So I'm really sorry and I hope you don't lose interest in the story. **

**Anyway here's the chapter! **

**Previously on**_** "Pen Friends?"**_

_Stefan and Elena have been writing to each other for 10 years and they became best friends. They've never seen each other or heard each other's voices._

_Stefan's dad gets a job in Mystic falls, so the whole family moves there. He goes to same school as Elena._

_Elena has 2 best friends, Caroline and Bonnie and a boyfriend; Matt. But no one knows about Stefan._

_Katherine is the head cheerleader, she's a complete B**** and now she has eyes on Stefan._

_At first, things between Stefan and Elena were awkward because Elena didn't want him to hate the real life version of her. She's a popular girl at her school and she was afraid he would hate her. But then they talked and they're back on track._

_Elena takes Stefan on a tour around town to show him the important things. And they agree on studying together the next day in Elena's house at noon._

_But when Jenna finds out that Elena is studying with a guy she flips out and they have a fight so Elena runs out and goes to a park. But Stefan finds her and they talk and as usual he makes her feel better. She goes back and talks to her aunt. _

_Jenna apologizes to Elena and everything is back on track . But Elena figures out something important which is she doesn't love Matt like she's supposed to so she decides to break up with him the next day. _

_Plus she finds out that her crush on Stefan is back. _

* * *

Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out.

_Breathe Elena. Breathe. It's just another day of school_. That's what I keep telling myself.

But I can't do it. I can't relax. I'm hyperventilating; my heart rate is going too fast, I can't breathe properly and I'm sweating like a pig.

I'm standing in front of my high school staring, willing my legs to move but they don't comply. It's like my mind and my body are two different things unconnected and unrelated. I can't do it. I can't break up with Matt.

It seemed so easy thinking about last night on my bed, but now when I'm only a few steps away from him, it's seems like the hardest thing to do.

Matt is so sweet and caring. He's always there for me. He's funny, loyal, faithful and smart. He's the perfect boyfriend.

And I'm going to break up with him.

God! What's wrong with me?!

How can I leave someone so good?! Someone that girls would only dream of?!

"Hello! Earth to Elena" Caroline's voice brings me back to reality.

I look at her and she motions for me to walk with her to class.

My legs finally move and I make my way to her. We start walking to the door and at the same time getting closer to where Matt is standing with his friends.

Do I tell him now, during lunch or before we leave?

If I tell him now the whole school will know and they will be gossiping and pointing and staring at us the whole day. And if I tell him before we leave then they will do all those things tomorrow. SO I might as well get it over with.

I stopped in my tracks which made Caroline turn around and look at me confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to Matt. I'll see you later." I say and I go to Matt without waiting for a response.

He sees me walking towards him so he smiles and excuses himself from his friends to meet me halfway.

"Good Morning" He says cheerfully as he hugs me.

I return his hug a little awkwardly and reply by "Good Morning"

We pull back and I decide to not wait any longer. "I need to talk to you Matt"

"Sure. Go ahead" He says cluelessly.

"Umm.. Well… I-"

"Hey Matt, you've got to see this man" one of his friends interrupts.

Matt turns around to look at him "Can't you see I'm busy?!"

Then he turns to me again "I'm sorry about that. What did you want to say?"

I take a deep breath. "I wanted to –" And the bell rings.

Seriously, actually rings. Right when I wanted to talk. I thought these things only happen in movies. But apparently not.

Matt looks at me apologetically "I have to go. I can't be late for Biology again. We'll talk at lunch, ok?"

He doesn't wait for me to answer; he turns around and heads to class. I stand there in utter astonishment. Just when I mastered the courage to tell him, the bell rings… Just my luck.

I then remember that I have class too so I rush inside and head to my first period.

* * *

I'm walking out of History class heading to the cafeteria for something to eat when I hear him.

"Elena?" Just his voice alone is able to make my heart rate go crazy.

He was with me in history class and I managed to give him a smile before going back to blocking everything around me and living in a world where nothing but my thoughts exist.

I take a deep breath, manage to plaster a smile on my face and turn around to face my green eyed, new crush, best friend;Stefan.

"Yeah?"

He keeps walking towards me and when he is only a few feet away from me he stops.

"Are you okay?"

Why Oh Why is he able to read through me so easily?!

"Yeah I'm fine." I fake another smile.

He stares at me so intensely and I try to avoid his stare by looking at everything around me.

"You already know you can talk to me, so whenever you want to talk I'm here"

My eyes involuntary flick to his eyes and I can see that he's worried. And it warms my heart to know how much he cares.

So I decide to tell him. He'll understand. I know he will.

I open my moth to answer him when a loud, shrill voice interrupts me.

"There you are"

Stefan turns around and smiles when he sees Katherine there. He actually genuinely smiles.

"Hey Katherine"

She keeps walking towards him and when she reaches him, she comes close, really close to him. And for a second there I think she's going to kiss him on the lips. But thankfully she doesn't. She kisses him on the cheek instead.

"Where were you? I was worried" She says while pouting. I think she thinks she looks sexy pouting like that. But she doesn't.

"I was just talking to Elena."

She flicks her eyes at me as if she is just noticing me here and smiles. She's trying to look innocent but I know she's up to something. I can see it in her eyes.

"Oh I see. I guess I'll have to wait for you until you're done talking. I just can't start eating when you're not there next to me."

Oh GOD! She did not just say that!

"No no it's fine" Stefan tells her. Then he turns his face to look at me. He smiles apologetically and says "We'll talk later"

I nod and they walk away.

Why does it feel like my heart is shattering with every step they take?!

* * *

I walk into the cafeteria dreading what I have to do now, but knowing that I have to do it. I walk straight to our table. I can see Bonnie and Caroline laughing, Stefan and Katherine flirting, and Matt talking to some friends.

When I reach them I stand behind Matt and tap his shoulder. When he turns around, I tell him that we need to talk in private .

He follows me out of the cafeteria and we walk a little till we're far from people who want nothing but scandals and gossip.

We stop and stand face to face. I look at his eyes and I can see that he's worried about what I have to say.

"Matt…" How do I start? What do I say?

"Just say it Elena"

"I've known you since I was a little girl. My parents loved you. Jeremy loves you and considers you a big brother. You've been there for me when I needed you the most and I'll always be grateful for that. And I love you Matt. But not the way I should. I love you the way I love Jeremy. I tried. I really did try to fall in love with you, you're a great guy; the kind of guy girls only dream of having. But I can't fall in love with you. I guess it's not something I can force myself to do. And I'm sorry that I'm hurting you. I'm sorry that I haven't been honest with you. And I wish that someday you'll forgive me and we can be friends. But I think it would be better if we end things now."

He stares at me in complete silence. There are no emotions on his face. Not even in his eyes. It's blank.

"That's it?! You're ending things? And I don't even have a say in it!?" He says incredulously.

"It's n-"

"Don't Elena! Just don't! You've said enough already!" He yells then takes a breath and continues a little calmer. "I loved you. And I still do. I was there for you when you needed me. I listened to you; I was a shoulder to cry on. I was even there for Jeremy. And now you're telling me that it's over! I thought you loved me. I thought you're the one! But you've been lying to me. You've been stringing me along all this time."

He's looking at me with hatred. Hatred I've never seen in his eyes. And that hurts more than his words.

"I'm sorry Matt. I never wanted to hurt you"

"Yeah well it's too late; you just did"

And he walks away hitting the lockers on his way.

I stand there frozen in place. Just staring in space.

"Elena!" Came Caroline's voice and my eyes focus until I see her and Bonnie running towards me.

They hug me tight and I break down. Tears start streaming down my face and there's no control over them.

"Matt just told us what happened. Why didn't you tell us you're breaking up with him?!"

I can't answer. All I can do is cry and weep.

* * *

***At 9 pm:**

I'm lying on my bed trying to sleep but I can't. It's been a long day. After lunch break people kept staring at me, judging me with their eyes as if they know anything about me.

Apparently after Matt walked away from me he went back to the cafeteria and was very angry so he started flipping chairs over and when his friends asked him about what happened he told them that I broke up with him. He didn't actually tell them, he more like yelled it for the entire school to hear.

When I went back home, Caroline and Bonnie offered to stay with me but I told them that I'm fine.

I told Jenna what happened and she just hugged me and told me that if I feel that I did the right thing then I probably did.

But even though I know I did the right thing I can't sleep. The look on Matt's face when I broke up with him is haunting me. I never thought he would ever look at me that way.

While I'm lost in my thoughts, I hear the door bell ringing but I don't bother getting up. Jenna is down there.

A minute later there's a knock on my door.

"Elena. There's someone here for you."

"I don't want to see anyone. Can you tell whoever it is that I'm tired and sleeping?"

"I think you want to see this one"

"Ugh" I say as I get up. I cast a look at myself in the mirror and I look like crap. My eyes are red, my hair is in a messy bun and strands of it are on my face and neck, I'm wearing some black sweat pants with a purple sweatshirt and some socks. So whoever it is must endure my horrid look because I don't have any plans of changing.

I walk down the stairs and find the door closed, I walk to the living room and find Jenna there alone watching TV.

"Umm.. Who is here?"

She looks at me "He's outside on the front porch"

He?! Please don't let him be Matt!

I walk back to the door, open it and step outside.

I look at the bench on my right and I see him. He's looking at me.

His green eyes are twinkling and he has a beautiful smile on his face.

The first thought that crosses my mind is that I should've changed my outfit.

But the second thought is how gorgeous he looks and how happy I am that he's here.

"Stefan" I whisper.

"Hey Elena. Come here" He pats the empty space next to him.

I walk there with my eyes locked on his and take a seat.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I remember you once telling me that you love doing something when you're sad. Does that ring a bell?"

I try remembering what I told him. Something I like to do when I'm sad … And suddenly it comes back to me …

"Shooting" I say

I have always loved the games at the funfair when they would give you a gun and you have to shoot something. I was really good at it. My dad shared my passion so one day I had a fight with Bonnie and I was very sad so he took me to a place that's especially for shooting. When I fired with the gun I felt like I was letting go of my anger and sadness and hurt. And since then I've went there whenever I felt sad.

But I haven't been there since my parents died because it reminds me of my dad.

"Yes shooting." Stefan confirms smiling. "And since I can't get you a real gun, I got you this" He reaches down to a bag and pulls two water guns.

My eyes widen as I take in what he brought and then I look back at him speechless.

"How would you feel about a water fight?" He asks with a smirk on his beautiful face.

I still can't talk but I can move so I hug him. He hugs me back awkwardly since he's holding 2 guns in his hand.

"I'm game" I say when I pull back.

* * *

We have a water fight in the back yard, and we keep going for an hour. We're both soaked wet but It's worth it. I can't remember the last time I had that much fun, or laughed so hard. I was having one of the best times of my life with Stefan right now. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

When we're done, Jenna brings us towels to try and dry off. So Stefan takes off his t-shirt which leaves him in nothing. Which of course leads to me staring like a hungry man seeing food for the first time.

He has a beautiful, well-sculptured torso. He's all muscles and I have this strange urge to run my hands over his chest. But he then starts drying himself with the towel which cuts off my view of him so I lift my eyes to look at his face not chest.

"I better get going" He says when he's done trying to dry off.

"Ok just hold on let me get you a shirt of Jeremy's"

He tries to stop me but I convince him that it's fine.

Jeremy gives me a shirt after a lot of begging and groveling. And I give it Stefan. It's a little tight but it'll do.

I walk with Stefan to his car and he puts his things inside before facing me.

"Thank you Stefan. I really needed that. I had fun"

"I had fun too. And you have a wonderful laugh."

I blush a little and look away.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school" He says

"Yeah I'll see you"

He bends forward towards me and for a second I think he's going to kiss me. And I hold my breath. But then he kisses me on the cheek. The feeling of his lips on my skin drives me crazy and I have to fight the urge to turn my face and give him a proper kiss.

His lips linger on my cheek a little more than necessary but I don't mind it. In fact I welcome it.

_Oh Stefan Salvatore what you do to me! _


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone, I'm back with a new chapter. Again, I'm sorry I'm late. Same excuse, I'm really trying but it's harder than I thought...  
I have a feeling that most of you are loosing interest, so I'm thinking about deleting the story for now and then reposting it after a while when I have some free time to write and update regularly. So do you think I should do it ? "**

**Thank you for reviewing the last chapter, there's nothing better than waking up and finding my mail filled with reviews ! **

**Please let me know what you think after you read this chapter and review =)**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

** Previously on**_** "Pen Friends?"**_

_Stefan and Elena have been writing to each other for 10 years and they became best friends. They've never seen each other or heard each other's voices._

_Stefan's dad gets a job in Mystic falls, so the whole family moves there. He goes to same school as Elena._

_Elena has 2 best friends, Caroline and Bonnie and a boyfriend; Matt. But no one knows about Stefan._

_Katherine is the head cheerleader, she's a complete B**** and now she has eyes on Stefan._

_At first, things between Stefan and Elena were awkward because Elena didn't want him to hate the real life version of her. She's a popular girl at her school and she was afraid he would hate her. But then they talked and they're back on track._

_Elena takes Stefan on a tour around town to show him the important things. And they agree on studying together the next day in Elena's house at noon._

_But when Jenna finds out that Elena is studying with a guy she flips out and they have a fight so Elena runs out and goes to a park. But Stefan finds her and they talk and as usual he makes her feel better. She goes back and talks to her aunt. _

_Jenna apologizes to Elena and everything is back on track . But Elena figures out something important which is she doesn't love Matt like she's supposed to so she decides to break up with him the next day. _

_Plus she finds out that her crush on Stefan is back._

_She breaks up with Matt the next day and is very sad that she broke his heart, but at night Stefan comes over to her house and they have a water fight because he wants to chear her up3 _

* * *

It's been 10 days since the "Super-Couple break up" or at least that's what everyone at school is calling it. People haven't stopped giving me looks and glares all week long. As if they know anything about me. As if they even care. They just want something or rather someone to gossip about.

And especially Katherine. She's always taunting me with her looks and whispers. She even started talking to me but only to tell me how sad "Mattie" is, or how miserable he looks. As if I need any of this.

I wish I could tell Stefan what she's doing. I know he'll believe me, but I can't do that to him, he seems to actually like Katherine and he's always smiling when he's around her. And I don't want to be the one telling him about how bad she is, that will only raise more gossip and will make Katherine hate me even more. I want him to find out all by himself what kind of a person she is.

I just really hope he finds out soon.

Why?

Well, that's because my feelings for him are developing.

The only good thing that has happened the past week is that I saw Stefan every single day. One day he would come over and just hang out, the next day we would study, then we would play video games or watch a movie. And I found myself falling for him a little more as the seconds pass.

Caroline and Bonnie are suspicious because I'm not hanging out with them as much and I'm always coming up with excuses. So I think it's time for me to tell them the truth about me and Stefan.

And I'm telling them today.

It's Saturday and I asked them to meet me at the park to talk, they kept begging me to tell them what's going on but I insisted on talking to them in person.

So here I am sitting on a bench in a quiet area of the park waiting for them to arrive. I keep trying to come up with a perfect speech to narrate when they come but my mind is blank. How do you tell your best friends that you have been keeping something from them all this time? How do you tell them that there's someone in your life that they don't know?

"Look Bonnie! If it isn't our MIA friend!" Caroline said sarcastically as soon as she laid eyes on me.

"Hey guys" I say quietly. They sit down next to me but don't respond whatsoever.

"I know I haven't been around for a while and I'm really sorry. I honestly have no excuse. I do have something to tell you but it won't make any of this better. I just really hope that you'll forgive me."

I wait for them to say something but they're both silent. And my nerves are wrecking.

"What do you wanna tell us?" Asks Bonnie finally.

"Um… well, it's…it's not… not bad or anything. It's just something that I've never told you about."

Oh my GOD! How am I supposed to do this?! Why didn't I tell them before Stefan moved here?! It would've been so much easier!

Deep breath "Ok so … When I was 7, I started writing letters to a boy my age. You know; pen friends. We kept writing back and forth since then and became best friends." I stop talking for a minute to gather up my thoughts on what to say next.

They were looking at me, patiently waiting. "He knows everything about me. He was always there for me whenever I was having a tough time. He understands me. All in all he's a really great guy."

"And you like him now." Interrupts Caroline. She isn't asking me, she's just giving a fact. Is it that obvious?!

I don't want to lie to them so I don't confirm nor deny her statement.

"That's not the point. This guy I'm telling you about moved here with his family a few months ago and he's going to our school. You both know him."

"We do?" Asks Bonnie.

"Yeah. It's…" here it goes. "Stefan"

They both gasp and their eyes widen. They stare at me with shock evident in their eyes.

"Stefan?! As in Salvatore?" Caroline breaks the silence.

I nod waiting for whatever is coming next and expecting the worse.

"But… but how? When? … I don't understand" Confesses Bonnie. So I spend the next hour telling them about Stefan. How I felt the first time I saw him and how I knew it was him. I tell them about how much time we've been spending together and what we do.

Once I finish, Caroline looks at me and says in a hushed voice "You really do like him!"

I laugh and say "I do. That obvious?"

They both say yes and laugh.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Well, I'm kind of hurt that you didn't tell us before, but I'm glad you finally did" Bonnie answers.

"Me too. Besides we have more important things to do now"

I give her a quizzing look in return.

"Ladies, I hereby announce the official beginning of operation Get The Salvatore"

"Get the Salvatore?!" I ask unable to hold back my laughter.

"It's obvious you like him. And that B**** Katherine is all over him and you're standing by watching her. So this is where we come in and help you get the guy"

* * *

_**2 days later:**_

The weekend is over, it went by in a blink of an eye, and now it's school. But the good thing is that now I don't have anything to hide from my Best friends. I called Stefan that day after I came back and he was really glad I finally told them. He said that I did the right thing. But the bad thing is that I didn't see him on Saturday and Sunday; on Saturday he was taking Katherine out on a date and on Sunday they were hanging out at his place.

On the other hand, Caroline and Bonnie came up with ideas for me to try to get Stefan and I have to admit, they are kind of creative. We're gonna start today and see what happens.

My first class with Stefan is now and I'm excited to do everything they told me to do. It'll be fun.

Suddenly I can't see anything and I feel two hands on my eyes covering them.

"Guess who?" A voice whispers playfully in my ear and makes me shiver. And only one voice has the ability to make me shiver.

"Hmm… let me think! Could it be Matt?"

He laughs "Nope, try again"

"Then it's gotta be my new crush"

His breath catches and he stops breathing. He then asks "And who might that be?"

"Nick Mickelson of course! He's a jock which means hot, he's sweet and friendly and he has a beautiful smile. Did I get it right?"

I got the satisfaction of him being silent for a minute before he answered. That means he's jealous right?! I certainly hope so.

"Still no. I'm you super hot best friend" He says and finally takes his hands off my eyes.

"Ohh you" I say faking disappointment.

"Yeah me" He says as he puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to his side to walk to class together.

"I don't see you for 2 days and you have a new crush?" He asks me just before we enter class.

I go inside put my book on the desk then turn around to see him "What can I say? It just happened" I tell him with a smirk and take my seat.

He stands there looking at me … no scowling at me before he takes his seat. I feel bad for lying to him but maybe that's exactly what I have to do to get him.

After class, I tell Bonnie and Caroline what happened with Stefan and they both give me high fives! Anyway, we continue to the cafeteria, pick up our food and walk to our usual table. But we don't sit on our usual seats; we sit exactly where Katherine and her pose plus Stefan sit.

We eat our food as if nothing is happening; we're just having a peaceful lunch at our lunch break. But of course that doesn't last for a long time; Katherine is here.

"Excuse me?!"

I hear her say from behind us but we act as if we haven't heard her.

"I'm talking to you"

I turn around and act surprised "Oh you mean me? I didn't hear you say my name"

"Yeah well, you're sitting in my place"

Now it was Caroline's turn to keep her in place "I'm pretty sure it's not yours. I can't see your name anywhere on it."

"Are you f***ing kidding me?!"

"What's going on?" Comes Stefan angelic voice.

"Those b**** are sitting in our place!" She yells causing the whole school to look at us.

Stefan's eyes flicker to mine for a second before they go back to Katherine's. "Come on Kat it's fine. We'll sit over there."

"But … It's my place!"

"I know that but it doesn't matter. Come here" He wraps his arm around her waist and ushers her to the empty seats without another glance in my direction.

Why do I suddenly feel so small, like I'm just a tiny insect in a room full of elephants? Stefan didn't say anything offensive or rude but the way he talked to Katherine and the way he looked at me made me feel so so small. He made Katherine be the bigger person, the one who rises above everyone else and I'm the one doing silly things, looking for a fight. The whole point was to show him how bad she is, but I guess that backfired at me. Out of the blue I feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes, so I leave my food on the table and rush out of the cafeteria trying to hold my tears in just for a minute till I reach the door.

The second I'm out, my tears are out as well. And I can't stop them. I try to think of a place where I could hide, where no one-not Caroline and Bonnie or even Stefan- would find me. But nothing comes to my mind. Nevertheless, I keep running and running till I hear someone behind me. I stop with a halt and turn around to find Matt .

I stand there, eyes locked with his, trying to catch my breath. I don't know if I should say something or if he should.

"Are you ok?" He asks me after a minute or so of complete silence.

"Yeah" I say but my voice comes out scratchy so I clear my throat and continue "Why are you here?"

He looks uncomfortable answering the question "I … um ... I saw you run out of the cafeteria and you looked upset so I thought I should check up on you"

"Why do you care?" I ask harshly.

"I know we're not together anymore, but that doesn't mean that I'll stop loving you in mere weeks" He says sincerely.

I narrow my eyes at him then take a deep breath, he seems to be saying the truth.

"Thank you Matt for your concern, I really appreciate it. But I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh … um ok. I guess I'll just go then." He turns around and walks away.

I sigh and run my hand through my hair. My life used to be so simple, what happened?! How did it turn into a soap opera?

The bell then rings so I go to the toilet, wash my face, make sure I look normal and head to class.

The rest of the day passes so slowly! Every minute seems like an hour! Bonnie and Caroline try talking to me and figuring out what's wrong but I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone, I just wanna go home, read some of Stefan's old letters and sleep.

* * *

After I go home and have dinner, I tell Jenna and Jeremy that I'm tired and going to bed early, then go to my room and close the door behind me.

I open my closet, reach for the highest shelf and pick up my letters box. It's a box that has all the letters Stefan has sent me over the years, starting from the age of 7 till few months ago.

I decide to read one of my favorites, he sent me this when I turned 15; the first birthday I had without my parents.

_Dear BEST FRIEND Elena,_

_YOU'RE 15! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! _

_You know I can read your mind Elena; don't you dare say it's not worth celebrating, because it sure is! _

_I know you're still hurting. That feeling will probably never go away but I'm positive that your parents would've wanted you to celebrate your birthday. And you know I'm right. You're mom loved birthdays, you used to tell me all the time about how she plans every single detail and how everything turns out to be just perfect. Celebrate your birthday, if not for you then do it for her. _

_You're an amazing, wonderful, gorgeous girl. You're smart, funny, sometimes silly, but always sweet and caring. I'm so thankful I got to know you and call you my best friend. You mean so much to me Elena, there are no words enough to describe it. _

_Enjoy your birthday and I wish you many more to come._

_Your best friend forever and ever,_

_Stefan _

_P.S I'm waiting for your reply letter describing your party. In details ;)_

I put the letter back in the box and put the box back to its sacred place. I then go to bed and sleep with the image of Stefan in my head.


	9. Chapter 8

**Don't hate me please! I know I haven't posted in like forever but here's a new chapter...  
I have a 2 weeks break so I'll try to write as much as I can and make it up to you .  
Thank you so much for following the story and adding it to your favorites, and a special thank you for everyone who reviewed, your reviews and love for the story are the reasons I keep pushing myself to writing .  
I hope you like this chapter and please tell me what you think about it and if you have any thoughts or ideas that might help please don't hesitate to either right them in the reviews or PM me .  
**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Previously on**_** "Pen Friends?"**_

_Stefan and Elena have been writing to each other for 10 years and they became best friends. They've never seen each other or heard each other's voices. Stefan's dad gets a job in Mystic falls, so the whole family moves there. He goes to same school as Elena._

_Elena has 2 best friends, Caroline and Bonnie and a boyfriend; Matt. But no one knows about Stefan. Katherine is the head cheerleader, she's a complete B**** and now she has eyes on Stefan._

_At first, things between Stefan and Elena were awkward because Elena didn't want him to hate the real life version of her. She's a popular girl at her school and she was afraid he would hate her. But then they talked and they're back on track._

_Elena figures out that she doesn't love Matt like she's supposed to so she decides to break up with him the next day. _

_Plus she finds out that her crush on Stefan is back._

_She breaks up with Matt because she doesn't love him like she's supposed to and because she finds out that she has a crush on Stefan. Stefan comes over that night to cheer her up and they have a water fight._

_She spends everyday in the next week with Stefan and her feelings for him develop, so she decides to tell Bonnie and Caroline about him and their relationship and they decide to help her get him. One day she, Bonnie and Caroline decide to sit in Katherine's place in the cafeteria which makes Katherine extremely angry but Stefan calms her down and takes her away._

* * *

The next week, Stefan becomes distant; he barely talks to me. When he sees me, he smiles or says hi but it never seems sincere. It's like he's just saying it to be polite, not because he really means it.

Everyday I think that maybe he's just having a bad day and tomorrow he'll be my Stefan again. But that never happens. It feels like every day he's even colder than before. And it's killing me.

I can't help but think that he's doing this because of what we did to Katherine; he's taking her side. Caroline says that maybe she's forcing him to stop talking to me, but I know Stefan; he never does anything he doesn't believe in, which proves that he is, in fact, avoiding me because he thinks that I did something wrong. The worst thing is that I know I did. I wasn't any better that Katherine, I was mean and troublesome. I don't deserve a good friend like him. Nevertheless, it still hurts.

The Homecoming dance is in 2 weeks and Caroline being Caroline is of course in the planning committee. She's in charge of everything. And even though I'm not into that kind of thing, she's making me and Bonnie help her. So every single day from now till the dance is booked. Which is theoretically good to take my mind off of Stefan but in reality is not.

I called mission "Get The Salvatore" off yesterday. I couldn't do it anymore. Bonnie and Caroline were always talking about things to do to get Stefan but I can't do any of them. He's not talking to me anymore, never mind falling in love with me.

A week before the dance, everyone is busy and the whole school is a mess. Girls talking about their dresses and guys about who they're taking. Caroline is going with Tyler and Bonnie with her new crush Kol. And me … I'm not going. Caroline thinks that I'm not going because I don't have a date, but that's not it. I'm not going because Stefan is. He's going with her. And I can't see him dancing with her all night long and keep sane.

On top of that I got a cold so I skipped school for the day, I hate being sick but on the other hand, at least I won't have to see the happy couple today.

That's why I'm stuck in my bed with a pack of tissues and a cup of tea.

I don't know how the hours pass, I wake up and it's 10, ten minutes later it's 12 and it keeps going like that the whole day. I think I remember when Jenna came to check up on me and asked me if I want to eat, I don't know if I ate or not. I remember hearing my mobile ringing a few times, I remember Jeremy asking me if I need anything. But it all seems like a dream.

* * *

The next day I'm a little better but I still can't go to school. However, I can move around the house and I'm actually aware of what's happening around me. I go to the kitchen and make my self a sandwich, then sit on the couch and watch some TV.

I Suddenly hear the doorbell ringing and rush to answer it. I don't know who I expected but I definitely didn't expect Matt.

"Matt!" I say stupidly

He smiles a little "Hey Elena"

I smile in return "You wanna come in?"

"Sure" He says as he steps inside, walks straight into the living room and sits on his couch. This couch has always been his; whenever he came over he sat on it. I took the couch across him.

"Why aren't you at school?" I ask after remembering it's a school day.

He shrugged "I wanted to talk to you, so I thought now is a good time."

I look at him expectantly willing him to speak.

"How have you been?" He asks after a while.

"I'm … good"

"You don't seem good. You seem kind of sad."

I break eye contact with him and take a deep breath. "I'm fine"

"Elena" He calls but I don't look at him. He sighs then gets up and sits next to me. "I told you this before, but I'm saying it again. You can talk to me, I know it feels weird now but it doesn't have to be. We can be friends Elena. I can help you."

I raise my head to look at him "I just don't want to lead you on. I care about you Matt. A lot. And I'm afraid that if we're friends again, you'll be hurting because that's all we'll ever be."

"I know that Elena. I know you don't feel for me what I feel for you. But I … I made…" He stops talking then says "God! I don't know how to say this!"

"Say what?!" I ask confused

He reaches or my hand and holds it with his. I want to take it away but I can't, not with the way he's looking at me.

"I made a promise to your dad once. I and my family were invited to one of your dad's famous barbeque parties. And everyone was having fun and laughing. I was sitting on one of the chairs texting one of my friends when your dad approached me. He sat next to me and talked to me about mundane things, like school, football and such. And then he said that he sees me as son to him, that he loves me as if I was his own, he said that I'll be a great man when I grow up. And then he told me that he fears that when we grow up we'll grow apart like many siblings do, but I told him not to worry about it. He then made me promse him that I'll always make sure that you're happy and safe. And that I'll be Jeremy's big brother and help him if he ever needs me. And I did. I promised him that I'll always take care of you guys."

It's like the world stopped. I can feel -and even hear- my heart beating. I can't breathe properly. My dad. My dad asked him to do that. And I broke up with him when all he wanted was to take good care of me. Oh God!

"Maybe us being together doesn't work but we can always be friends Elena. I want to be your friend not just because of my promise but because I want to."

Tears are falling down my face and a sob erupts from somewhere inside me. I can't wrap my head around this. It's too much. What if daddy is mad at me for breaking up with Matt? I can't live knowing that I did something my dad didn't want me to do. What did I do ?!

"Hey Elena! Breathe honey!Come on you're scaring me" Matt says then pulls me to him in a tight hug.

How can I breathe?! I can't feel my lungs. I know they're there but I can't reach them.

It could've been hours or only mere minutes, but I finally calm down enough to realize that I'm soaking poor Matt with my tears. I pull away and find him looking at me with concern.

I stare at him hard- thinking of all the good things he'd ever done for me, all the kind words he said, all the times he's been there for me- willing myself to fall in love with him. But it doesn't work.

"Thank you for telling me" I say when I find my voice.

He nods but otherwise does nothing.

"And I'm sorry for … everything"

He shakes his head a little "Don't apologize Elena. I'm thankful for the times we spent together. And you know, it's not your fault we didn't work out, I could see that you were slipping away from me, I love you but I felt like our relationship wasn't as it's supposed to be. Who knows, maybe a few years from now both of us would have found our significant other. And don't you dare think that your dad is mad at you for breaking up with me! I know your dad and if there's one thing he wants more than anything, it's that you and Jeremy be happy."

"Do you really believe he's not mad at me?"I ask in a small voice.

"I'm positive"

I smile then lean into him and hug him.

"Thank you for coming over today, I really needed a friend"

* * *

The following week passes quickly. I talked to Matt a few times after our encounter in my house and we're doing really well. Stefan is still cold and I'm still not going to the dance which is tonight. Bonnie and Caroline are getting ready at Caroline's house, they begged me to at least go there and help them get dressed but I wasn't in the mood.

Jenna is cooking downstairs and Jeremy is studying in his room. I'm trying to study but I'm finding it hard to focus. Just imagining Katherine and Stefan dancing together and maybe kissing is driving me insane. However, I'm ignoring it the best I can.

An hour later, Jenna calls us to dinner. It's a typical dinner; talking about our day, laughing, sharing our plans for the next few days. Jeremy has always had this talent where he could turn a dull boring story into an extremely exciting one. And I find myself enjoying it. I guess normalcy is what I need.

Afterwards we sit in front of the TV and watch a movie, it's not that good but we haven't had family time in a while now. At around 10 the movie ends and I decide to go upstairs to continue studying and check my e-mail.

I enter my room, pick my laptop and sit on my bed. I check my e-mail meaning to scroll through it quickly but I'm shocked with what I find there.

I find an e-mail from Stefan.

Just his name in my inbox makes my eyes water, I haven't seen his name here in a long long time, and seeing it makes me realize just how much I miss that relationship we had, how much it affected me, how much I relied on it.

I take a deep breath and click on it, and there it is, an e-mail from Stefan

_Elena, _

_I don't really know why I'm writing or what to say. I just know that I miss writing to you…_

_We've been ignoring each other for some time now, I know I started it, I was just angry that you couldn't accept that Katherine is my girlfriend and that she is a good person on the inside. Form what I've seen, she never did anything wrong to you but you were always mean to her and I couldn't understand why. I was disappointed and sad that you would do that. I thought I knew you. _

_It's very hard for me not talking or writing to you. It's as if a part of me is missing. I used to tell you everything, you were the one place where I could say everything on my mind and not feel self conscious or stupid, you got me in a way no one else did. When my father decided to move here I thought it was the best thing that'll ever happen to me. To be able o see you and be your friend in real life, see all the people that make you, well you. But it turns out , that move was a bad idea , we drifted apart because we can't be who we really are in front of other people, we can't be as honest and we can't be so open. That's why we went downhill, I lost my best friend and everything changed. _

_Katherine was there, and you know me and my history with beautiful popular girls, I fall for them and think the best but always end up disappointed and hurt. That's exactly what happened today at the dance. I found her with another guy, they were kissing, right in the middle of the dance floor in front of everybody, she didn't even care that I was there. _

_So there I was, looking at her kissing a guy and all I could think of was you, and how many times you told me about her and tried to warn me, and how many times I shut you down. _

_Thank you Elena for trying to show me the truth about her and I'm sorry I didn't listen. _

_I hope we can be friends again because "I miss you" is an understatement. _

_Take care of yourself_

_Stefan_

Aww Stefan … Now my tears were freely falling down my face. I hit the reply button and start writing back.

_Dear Still-best-friend Stefan,_

_I can't believe she did that! How could she?! You're an amazing, wonderful guy. Any girl would be the luckiest in the world to have you. It's her loss. _

_I'm so sorry I wasn't there when it happened; I could've been there for you and helped you. _

_I miss you Stefan, I know what you mean about feeling as if you've lost a part of yourself because that's exactly how I feel, I need you in my life Stefan. I'm sorry I was so mean towards Katherine, she did do bad things to me but that's no excuse for what I did because that's not me. _

_Why don't we meet tomorrow in the park at around 11am? We can talk, solve everything and start over… _

_Elena _

I study a little waiting for a reply from Stefan. After 30 minutes, he finally replies by saying that he'd love to meet tomorrow.

I shut my laptop down and tuck myself in bed after making sure that I put an alarm at 9am. I can't wait for tomorrow to happen…


	10. Chapter 9

**Here's the new chapter, it's short but I promise you a next chapter will be very soon. Again, I'm really sorry for the delay.  
I'm grateful to everyone who reviewed, I was afraid no one was reading the story anymore but you showed me that you are still reading. So thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing.**

**Please review and let me know what your thoughts are, your reviews give me the motive to write…**

**Enjoy !**

* * *

"Hey" I hear a voice behind me say. Not _a_ voice, _Stefan's_ voice.

I've been sitting on a bench waiting for Stefan for the past 15 minutes, he wasn't late or anything. I was early. I wanted to see him, to help him, to be there for him like he had been for me a million times before.

"Hi" I say with a smile as I turn around to see him. He looks tired, his eyes are red, he has black circles around his eyes, and he is a little pale. Even his hair is a mess.

He walks towards me and sits next to me with his eyes focused on the horizon.

"Are you okay? You look tired."

He doesn't say anything for a minute and I think he didn't hear me but then he looks at me and says "As fine as I can be."

I think this is a good time to approach the Katherine thing.

"I'm really sorry she did that to you, I can't imagine what you must be going through."

He smiles a little but it doesn't touch his eyes "You know, I thought I'll just start getting used to this happening to me, but I don't. It hurts every time."

I understood what he was saying, I remember the first time Stefan fell in love, he was 12 and her name was Rebekah, I remember him telling me about her, he talked with such enthusiasm. They were together for 2 months but then an older boy showed interest in her and she broke up with Stefan. He was completely devastated afterwards; he was depressed and wasn't himself. But eventually he got over her. 3 years after that, they started talking again, and then one day, she told him that she made the biggest mistake of her life by letting him go and she begged him to take her back, so they were together again. But of course nothing lasts forever. This time they were together for almost a year and Stefan was even preparing for their one year anniversary, he kept asking me my opinion and sharing his ideas till he decided on the perfect gift for her. 2 weeks before the anniversary he went out with some of his friends to a restaurant and there she was. She was with some older guy, sitting extremely close to him-almost on his lap-, he was touching her in a totally inappropriate way and they were kissing.

"I really don't know what the hell is wrong with those girls you date!"

He laughs without humor "Maybe it's not them."

"What?!" I ask angrily.

He shrugs "I'm just saying, there's a certain pattern here. So maybe there's nothing wrong with them."

"Stefan Salvatore! Don't you dare blame yourself for this! They're stupid! You're friendly and honest and trustworthy. You're funny and sarcastic yet romantic and charming. You're everything any girl could ask for. So don't you dare feel guilty!"

He looks at me for a few seconds before he smiles a little. "You really mean that." He doesn't say it like a question, more like with wonder.

"I do. I really do."

"Thank you" He says with sincerity.

I just smile in return.

We fall into silence then, I can distinctively hear children laughing and screaming, I can hear the wind blowing between the trees, I can hear the rustle of leafs. It's so peaceful.

"So," I say after a while, "How is your family finding Mystic Falls?"

He exhales apparently appreciating the new topic. "Well, my mom is finding it kind of hard because she's not used to small town life, but she's getting there. My dad likes working in the hospital a lot, it's not as busy and crowded as in the hospital he used to work in, but he gets to help people and connect with his patients. You know Damon didn't come with us, but I think he's supposed to come visit on Christmas break."

"That's good, I'm sure you miss him."

"Yeah, it's nice to have someone to goof around with."

"Well, I can share my brother with you. You can come over any time you like and goof around with Jeremy. I give you full permission!" I say smiling.

"Aren't you generous?! Thank you Miss Gilbert." He says chuckling.

I laugh and he laughs with me. It feels nice laughing with Stefan. It's like everything other than us and our stupid conversation doesn't exist.

"Listen Elena," he says after a minute "I have to go, my mom wants to reorder the living room and she needs a hand. I promised I would be back soon."

"Oh ok…" I say as cheerfully as I can manage, although I'm feeling anything but. "Well, that's good for you; having something to take your mind off what happened."

"Yeah I guess." He says and we both get up.

We walk to the parking lot together talking about nothing in particular. When we reach my car he takes the keys from my and opens the door for me. See why I love him?

"Thank you" I say with a smile.

"No. Thank you for being here for me. And I'm sorry I couldn't stay but we'll hang out tomorrow. I promise."

I smile hugely unable to contain my happiness. "I look to tomorrow."

He smiles in return and I can't help but think how beautiful he looks when he's smiling. And then he leans towards me and I find myself holding my breath, and staring at his lips. His full, soft lips.

And then he kisses me… but not where I want him to. It's just a peck on the cheek. But it still makes my stomach filled with butterflies and my whole body trembles.

He leans back as if nothing happened oat all "I'll see you tomorrow"

I just nod and get in the car, he closes the door for me and waits until I drive away before he gets into his own car.

* * *

I arrive home and find the house unnaturally quiet. "Jenna? Jeremy?"

"Up here" Jenna answers.

I climb the stairs and find Jenna in her room running from the closet to the bathroom and then back to her bedroom. That's when I notice the bag on her bed.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on?! You really wanna know what's going on?! My BOSS just called! He said my colleague is sick and can't go to this huge conference in Seattle on Monday! He's sick! And guess who has to go instead?! ME!"

I don't know what to say or how to answer her so I just nod and say "oh"

"Yeah I know! Now I have to leave today because there's this welcoming brunch tomorrow and I have to be there."

"I get why you're mad but come on. It's not that bad. You get to go to Seattle, sleep in a nice hotel and see the city all for free."

She takes a deep breath then lets it out. "I know I know… I'm just freaking out because I'm leaving you guys alone and I'm not prepared. It's all a last minute thing. You know me and last minute things."

"It's fine. We'll be fine. It's only for… what 3 days?"

"Um… yeah almost. I get back on Thursday."

"We'll be completely fine. We'll go to school, order take outs, study and go to bed. Don't worry."

"Yeah I know… Just don't cook!" She says with a pointed look.

"OMG! It was one time! One little time that I burnt the food! I cooked after that and nothing happened!"

She just shrugs in return and then goes back to packing.

I go to my room and study a little, I finish a few math problems and I read a little history before I hear Jenna calling me to dinner.

We have dinner and Jenna starts giving us the does and don'ts list for this week; DO study, DON'T stay up late, DO clean, DON'T miss school,… the list goes on and on and on.

When it's time for Jenna to go, I offer to drive her to the airport but she says she already ordered a cab. We say goodbye and she keeps adding to the list of does and don'ts as she walks to the cab.

We close the door and make sure we lock it before we both sigh.

"GOD," says Jeremy "I thought she won't shut up!"

I laugh "I knoww!But it's so not over, she's gonna call us to add a new thing"

We sit on the couch and watch a movie on TV. Mid-way through the movie Jenna calls.

After the movie, I say goodnight and head to my room. I change my cloths and sit on my bed thinking about Stefan. I didn't have time to obsess about him today but now I do.

I picture his smile and remember his laugh. I think about how sweet he was when he opened the door for me. And all those feeling I had when he pecked me on the cheek. An innocent gesture but with so much meaning. At least to me. I've never felt this way before. I've been kissed by guys on the cheek but not one of them send a delicious shiver throughout my whole body.

I pick up my phone contemplating calling Stefan when my phone beeps with a new message.

**Hey **** So there's this new awesome action movie in theaters, what do you say we go watch it tomorrow? ~S**

He wants us to go watch a movie. Together.

**Yeah sure. When do you wanna go? ~E**

His reply comes shortly afterwards.

**I have to study in the morning; I'm a little behind. But how about 5? ~S**

**Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night: D ~E**

**Great! Sweet dreams… ~S**

My dreams were indeed sweet; they were about him…


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I think this is the fastest update for me ever! I know you all want them to get together already and I promise you they will, I have a plan, so you just have to be a little patient.**

**Thank you for your amazing reviews. I love them all!**

**Please review and let me know your thoughts…**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I wake up the next day at 10 in the morning well rested and happy. Everything in my life is great at the moment and I'm excited for a new day.

I head to the bathroom to take a shower but then decide to take a bath instead, after all it's a Sunday. I put some relaxing music on my iPod and get in the bath. That's a good start of the day.

After I finish my bath, I put on some sweat pants and a hoodie and go downstairs to make some pancakes. Surprisingly Jeremy is awake. I find him in the kitchen looking into the fridge trying to find something to eat.

"Morning" I say cheerfully.

"Hey" He's obviously half asleep.

"I'm making pancakes, you want some?"

He looks up at me and narrows his eyes "_You_'re making pancakes?!"

"Oh God! Not you too! I won't burn the house don't worry." I say while shoving him away from the fridge so that I can get the ingredients.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Just in case." He says then sits on one of the kitchen-table chairs staring at me.

I ignore him and start mixing things together to make the pancakes.

Half an hour later, the pancakes are ready. I didn't burn the house and they taste delicious!

"This is so good! If I didn't see you make them with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed you made them." Jeremy says with his mouth full.

"I don't know if this is supposed to be a compliment…"

"It is"

"Oh then Thank you"

The next few hours are spent with nothing much to do, a little studying, internet browsing, TV watching and video games playing.

We make sandwiches for lunch and I tell Jeremy that I probably won't be here for dinner so he decides to have dinner with a few friends.

At 4pm I go to my room to start getting ready, after some thinking, I decide on a red wool casual dress with black leggings and my black boots. I braid my hair, add earrings and put some perfume.

I pick up my phone and find that I have a missed call from Stefan so I call him back praying that he's not canceling on me.

"**Hey"** He answers after the first ring.

"**Hi, I just saw you called me."**

"**Yeah, um… I just wanted to suggest that I come pick you up since your house is on my way there. What do you think?"**

He wants to pick me up! Am I so silly to be extremely happy about it?!

"**Yeah that's a great idea!" **

"**Ok then, I'll be there in 10 to 15 minutes"**

"**Alright. Drive safe"**

"**Will do."**

After we hang up I hold the phone to my chest like a love-sick teenager. Oh wait that's exactly what I am…

* * *

13 minutes and 34 seconds later Stefan's car is in front of my house. I rush downstairs and almost bump into Jeremy as he's coming out of the living room.

"Why are you on such a hurry?!"

"I'm going out. I'll see you tonight."

He looks confused then smirks a little "Oh I see… That guy with the red Porsche…"

I hit him on his arm playfully, grab my coat just in case and go outside.

Stefan gets out of his car as soon as he sees me and opens the door for me.

"Hey" He says.

I smile and respond with a "Hi". After I'm inside he goes back to his side and gets in.

Why does this whole thing feel like a date all of the sudden?!

"How was your day?" Stefan asks as he starts driving. We talk for the rest of the drive about nothing exactly, just normal, everyday stuff. When we reach the movie theatre we go out and buy our tickets, there's still 30 minutes left for the movie to start so we take a seat in the waiting room.

"Stefan?" I say after some silence.

"Yeah?"

"Are you… better today? I mean I know you're hurting but is it getting any better?"

He sighs and looks straight ahead "I guess so, when I don't think about it I'm fine but when I do… it hurts"

He looks so sad when he says this that I feel bad for asking "I'm sorry it brought it up"

He looks at me and smiles "No it's fine. If I can't talk to you then who can I talk to, right?"

I'm so flattered that he said this and I think I blush a little.

"Let's go buy some popcorn!" He says with enthusiasm.

After we buy everything we need we head inside the theatre and choose some good seats. People come in and take their seats, which leaves the theatre half full. Soon the light go out and we're left in darkness with nothing but the screen's light.

The movie is exciting and a little nail-biting. It's definitely a good choice.

When the movie ends Stefan starts gushing about it, analyzing every single scene. I comment when necessary and laugh when it's funny and nod when I feel he needs an indication that I'm listening. Seeing him like this makes me so happy, he's a lighter and younger Stefan. He's so adorable.

We walk to his car and I head for the door when we reach it but Stefan stops me.

"Let's take a walk." He suggests with his hand outstretched for me to take it and a smile that makes it impossible to say no. Not that I want to say no.

I place my hand in his and a current runs through my whole body starting with my hand and ending with my toes. We start walking around aimlessly, chatting and joking and messing around. It all feels so relaxing, so normal, so… right.

After spending an hour walking we go back to the car and Stefan drives me home. Too soon we arrive to my house, and Stefan opens my door and helps me out then walks me to the door. The house is dark which means Jeremy is still out.

"Would you like to come in?"

"I better head home. It's almost 10 and we have an early day tomorrow." He says while smiling apologetically.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll see tomorrow"

"I had a great time today. Good night Elena"

"Good night." I say as I watch him walking to his car then driving away. When I can't see his car anymore, I unlock the door and go inside. I turn on a few lights because the house looks kind of creepy like this. I go to my room and change to my PJs when I hear the front door opening.

"Jeremy?!" I call "Is that you?"

I wait a little but there's no answer so I decide to go out of my room to check it. I open my door and look outside but I can see nor hear anyone. I then look in Jeremy's room but there's no one. My heart starts beating fast. Did I imagine the voice of the door opening or is there really someone in the house?

My eye catches a baseball bat in Jeremy's room so I pick it up and head downstairs as quietly as I can. When I reach the end of the stairwell I hear the voice of people whispering in the living room. So I take a deep breath and turn to the living room with the bat raised high, ready to take a swing.

"God dammit Elena! It's just me!" Comes Jeremy's voice. He's standing in front of me with his hands in front of his face protecting him.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I scream at him. "You could've told me it was you!"

"Ok ok I'm sorry. Just don't hit me."

I realize I'm still aiming the bat at him so I lower my arm. I look behind him and I find a girl standing still looking at us.

"Elena," begins Jeremy, "this is Anna"

I look at him mentally asking him who Anna is. He avoids my stare and looks at Anna.

"This is my sister Elena."

"Hi Anna. I didn't know Jeremy brought company."

She looks very nervous "We were studying in a coffee shop but then it became crowded so we thought we could come here. I'm sorry we scared you."

"Don't worry about it, I'm easily frightened." I say trying to ease her guilt. "Jeremy can I talk to you for a second?" I say while walking to the dining room. He follows me and we reach a place I know she can't hear us from I stop and turn around to face him.

"So? Spill!" I order.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on! Who is she? I'm your sister; you have to tell me!"

"Keep your voice down!"

I stop talking and look at him pointedly waiting.

"Ok," He says giving up. "She's a girl I met in the library 2 weeks ago. I've been seeing her a lot since then but we're just friends."

"But you want to be more than just friends, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, let's see; you haven't brought a girl home for years, you've been going to the library a lot recently, and you look at her in an 'I like you' way"

"Ok, yes I like her but it's only been 2 weeks"

"I think she likes you too. Just go for it. Tell her you like her and see what happens. She looks like a good person"

"She is. I think I'll tell her but not now. It's still too early."

"Ok, well I'm going to bed. Be a good host and offer her something to drink."

"Yeah fine ok! Good night Elena." He says then walks out before I get to say anything else.

I go to my room and lie in my bed. Then a thought crosses my mind, I just told Jeremy to be honest about his feeling and tell Anna what he really feels while I've been doing the exact opposite with Stefan. I didn't lie but I didn't tell the truth either. He should know that there's someone who actually loves him for him not for his looks.

Should I tell him about my feelings or is it the wrong time?!


	12. NOT AN UPDATE

******THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE !**

Hi guys,

I can't express how sorry I am for not updating for almost 2 months... I feel guilty about it every single day. I know you don't want to hear some lame excuse but I really am extremely busy.

I study Communiction Engineering and it's becomming harder and harder as the time passes, I'm spending 3/4 of my time in the university and even when I'm home I'm constantly studying. I wish I could write but I can't.

That being said, I'm **not** abandonning the story but I don't know when I'll have the chance to write again.

I will totally understand if you stop reading Pen Friends and remove it from your alerts, you have every right to and I won't blame you... But I really hope you won't.

I just wanna thank you all for reading and always being suppotive and reviewing! This story has 100 reviews which is **_AWESOME!_**

I hope you stick with me,

Thanks

Much LOVE !


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